National and personal tragedy collide over the course of a single Icelandic summer day.

The true moment of reaching adulthood isn’t determined by age, but by death. Rúnar Rúnarsson’s slender story pivots on a traumatic 24 hours – sunset to sunset – in the life of young Icelandic performance art student Una (Elin Hall). This film from the director of “Volcano”, “Sparrows” and “Echo” is almost possessed by the titular light and the image of his native Reykjavík as he works again with his longtime collaborator DoP Sophia Olsson. Newcomer Hall strikes a real presence – bright as the light of summer in Iceland – and her character seems just as likely to survive this problematic present. Technically adults – they all seem to be in their early twenties – the events of this day will scrub out childhoods from their fresh faces and set their futures.

Fionnuala Halligan, Screen International