The Love That Remains review – startling tragicomic portrait of a fractured family
Pálmason's visual and compositional sense is as commanding as ever, with some stunning imagery of the Icelandic landscape. But it is flavoured with a new tone of persistent, playful unseriousness, which finally morphs into a tragicomic spectacle of male loneliness. In some places this film doesn't have the weight and the impact of his earlier work, but it's certainly engaging.
This is the story of Maggi, or Magnus (Sverrir Gudnason), who works on a fishing trawler. He is now divorced or at least separated from his artist wife Anna (Saga Garðarsdóttir), who creates large canvases and works with metal, and also photographic projects and land art, working often out of doors, on the family's own land. They have two sons and a daughter, whose granddad is played in cameo by Pálmason's longtime lead actor Ingvar Sigurdsson; they amuse themselves firing arrows at a humanoid target they have rigged up on a pole – a very dangerous pastime, as it turns out.
Poor Magnus is always showing up, asking to see the the kids, hanging out with the family from whom he is now supposedly estranged; at one stage, they go on a swimming-trip-slash-picnic and Magnus is treated to an ecstatic upskirt vision of Anna as she stands over him. Is it actually happening? Or just in his raddled, lonely, horny imagination? But Anna is obviously very exasperated with Magnus and feels sorry for him, against her better judgment, allowing him to be with her and the children because so clearly he has no idea how to manage his post-separation existence, and it is taking a terrible toll. She is beginning to hate him.
Or is she? Hard emotional realities of this sort are always being softened and modified by quirky visual inventions. Magnus takes it upon himself to kill the wayward rooster that they keep on their land, because Anna had been complaining about its aggressive behaviour; it is a scene that speaks of Magnus's own thwarted and diminished masculinity. It is followed by a dream sequence in which this rooster, enlarged to monstrous size and inspired by the scary movie on TV to which Magnus had fallen asleep, comes back to take his revenge. It's quite funny – but perhaps not funny enough to be fully successful as a poignant moment.
There are other dream moments. An obnoxious Swedish art dealer who patronises Anna and her work meets a terrible end. A sword lands Pythonesquely from the sky just next to the children's sword-target which has a medieval helmet. Meanwhile, near Magnus's trawler, an old second world war mine has appeared – another flourish of metaphorical danger. The effect is tender, sympathetic, diverting and often very elegant and indirect. But it withholds from us the full, real pain of damaged love.
The Love That Remains screened at the Cannes film festival.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Iconic 80s teen heartthrob who starred in scandalous film alongside Brooke Shields is seen on rare outing
This actor and occasional model was pictured out in Connecticut on a rare outing this week. He is best known for costarring with Brooke Shields in an iconic film from the early 1980s. The movie struck up controversy that has endured for decades due to its copious nudity and the fact that Shields was only 14 when she worked on the production. This star, who is now 64, later played up his image by posing nude in Playgirl just a couple years later. Since then he has remained prolific with a variety of film roles and guest parts on television, including a reunion with Shields nearly two decades after they first worked together. Can you guess who this '80s actor is? He's Blue Lagoon star Christopher Atkins. Atkins, who was born in New York in 1961, tends to fly under the radar, but he was pictured in a rare sighting in Southport, Connecticut, earlier this week. He was seen running errands around town, which included a stop at a gas station to fill up. The '80s heartthrob looked as if he was dressed for a day at the beach with a gray–green tank top and gray floral-patterned Hawaiian-style cargo shorts, along with beige flip flops. He still sported his recognizable blond hair, though it had faded to the point that it was almost a platinum shade now. Atkins and Shields starred in 1980's Blue Lagoon as a pair of children who are shipwrecked on a remote island. After the only adult to survive with them dies, they are left alone to find for themselves. The children grow up and eventually become lovers on the island, which is inhabited by indigenous people that they steer clear of. Shields was only 14 at the time, so a body double performed her nude scenes. But Atkins was 18 and did his own full-frontal nude scenes. Critics savaged Blue Lagoon but it was a hit at the box office Despite his boyish looks, Atkins was 18 at the time filming began, but Shields was only 14. As a result, her numerous nude scenes were filmed by an adult body double, but Atkins performed his own nude scenes. Still, critics and audiences were alike were scandalized by the story — in which Atkins and Shields' characters are cousins — and Shields' young age. Although she isn't pictured in the nude, Shields still performed topless on set, though sometimes with her hair glued to her chest. Critics savaged The Blue Lagoon, but it was a hit at the box office, where it reportedly grossed $58.8 million in North America along against a budget of just $4.5 million. But Blue Lagoon's box office success didn't translate to major roles for Atkins, possibly because of the critical disdain for the film. He followed it up with voice roles in the English-language dubs of Japanese anime adaptations of Swan Lake and Aladdin And The Magic Lamp in 1981 and 1982, respectively. In 1982 he made the risky move to pose nude in Playgirl, which may have made it hard for audiences to separate him from Blue Lagoon's reputation. The same year, he had a lead role in The Pirate Movie, an Australian musical loosely based on Gilbert and Sullivan's classic opera The Pirates Of Penzance. The movie didn't change his fortunes, though, as critics again lambasted the movie, and it barely made back its budget. Atkins got a more high-profile role as a recurring character on Dallas for a year beginning in 1983, but since then he appeared almost exclusively in low-budget films in supporting roles. Atkins married the Australian model Lyn Barron in 1985, and they share two children. Although he continued to act throughout the decade, it was the least productive period of his career, and in 2009 he told People that he struggled with alcoholism while also battling a career recession at the time. He ended up going to rehab during the decade, but he boasted of being sober for more than two decades at the time. He had a brief return to prominence in 1999, when he reunited with Shields on her sitcom Suddenly Susan for an episode. Atkins also had a small role in the 2012 TV movie Blue Lagoon: The Awakening, which was a present-day remake of the earlier film. Although he never gave up his love of acting, Atkins later took up additional trades as a swimming pool builder and a fishing lure designer In 2022, he reunited with Shields for her podcast, in which they discussed the controversial nudity on Blue Lagoon. After joking about Atkins' on-set nudity, Shields remembered thinking, 'Why do I have to look at this? I'd never seen one before. I'm not going to start now' Two years later, Atkins scored another high-profile TV guest spot on an episode of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. Although his other film projects have remained small scale, he has stayed impressive busy, and he currently has five projects that are completed or in post-production, according to IMDb. Although he never gave up his love of acting, Atkins later took up additional trades as a swimming pool builder and a fishing lure designer. In 2022, he reunited again with Shields for her podcast Now What?, in which they discussed the controversial nudity on Blue Lagoon. After joking about how often he was nude on set, Shields remembered thinking, 'Why do I have to look at this? I'd never seen one before. I'm not going to start now.' She added that members of the production 'wanted so desperately for us to fall in love with each other,' but that wasn't going to happen, as 'even kissed anybody.' Atkins replied: 'Which was probably great for the film because that's what it was all about. You have to admit the chemistry between us was just amazing.' The actor recently relieved his glory days when he graced the cover of Playgirl's July 2025 issue, 43 years after he first posed for the magazine.
Daily Mail
5 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Michelle Keegan displays her toned figure and impressive abs as she poses in a sports bra during workout - four months after giving birth
She welcomed her first child - baby daughter Palma - in March this year. And four months on, Michelle Keegan is fully back into an impressive workout regime - sharing a snap from a reformer Pilates class to her Instagram Story on Sunday morning. The actress, 38, displayed her toned figure and impressive abs as she posed for the snap. She looked great in a strappy sports bra which she teamed with a pair of tight black leggings. Michelle opted for a toned-down makeup look and swept her long brunette tresses into a top knot. She penned in the caption of her post: 'Love a Sunday class' as she smiled for the mirror selfie. Michelle's Instagram post comes hot on the heels of her return to work after welcoming daughter Palma in March. She recently jetted off to Bulgaria for her latest acting project, sharing behind-the-scenes snaps from a film set abroad. Since becoming a mum, Michelle has been living it up with luxury holidays, red carpet appearances and a major new deal with Sky, all while flaunting her enviable post-baby figure in skimpy swimwear from her fashion range. Michelle posed for a slew of smiley snaps with her crew mates last week, during filming in Bulgaria for a secret new project. The actress looked like she was having the time of her life in a slew of behind-the-scenes snaps giving her fans a glimpse of her mystery job with Sky. It was recently revealed the mother-of-one has signed a six-figure advertising deal to become the new face of the media company Sky. And Michelle looked to be laughing all the way to the bank as she larked about on the set with her hairstylist, makeup artist, talent agency and fashion stylist during breaks from filming. She could be seen sitting with the crew in a line of black director's chairs, which were labelled - confirming the project to be a collaboration between Sky Creative and B2Y Productions. Michelle captioned the photos: 'Bulgaria files… with the best of the best ✨'. The deal will reportedly see Michelle film a series of promo clips with fellow British actor Idris Elba, who already appears as the 'face' of Sky. She welcomed baby Palma in March of this year with her husband the former TOWIE star Mark Wright. It's believed the couple chose the name Palma because of their strong links to the Spanish island of Mallorca, which has been their go-to holiday destination for years and the setting for their pregnancy reveal photo shoot. Michelle found fame as Tina McIntyre on Coronation Street in 2007, before leaving the ITV soap in 2014. Her career then took off, with hits such as BBC military drama Our Girl, Sky's Brassic and BBC's Australian drama Ten Pound Poms. While her biggest success came last year, when she scored the starring role of Maya Stern in Netflix's Harlan Coben thriller Fool Me Once - which racked up more than 100 million views globally.
The Guardian
a day ago
- The Guardian
Ciarán Hinds: ‘Who is my celebrity crush? Penélope Cruz and Javier Bardem'
Born in Belfast, Ciarán Hinds, 72, studied at Rada. In 1987, he joined Peter Brook's cast of The Mahabharata – an epic play that toured the world; he went on to perform for the RSC and the National Theatre. His films include The Cook, the Thief, His Wife and Her Lover, Belfast and Frozen. On television, he has appeared in Game of Thrones and The Terror, and will star in the new BBC adaptation of The Narrow Road to the Deep North. He is married to actor Hélène Patarot with whom he has a daughter, and lives in London and Paris. What is your greatest fear? I'm not fond of snakes. What is the trait you most deplore in yourself? Vagueness. What is the trait you most deplore in others? Pomposity. What was your most embarrassing moment? Falling off the stage and on to the pianist during the opening number in the Mother Goose pantomime at the Citizens theatre in Glasgow. Describe yourself in three words Hopeful, egalitarian, overweight. What makes you unhappy? The slaughter of innocents. What do you most dislike about your appearance? My gut. What is your most unappealing habit? Where to begin? If you could edit your past, what would you change? My penchant for having just one too many. What scares you about getting older? Not being able to fend for myself and being a burden to others. Who is your celebrity crush? Penélope Cruz and Javier Bardem. Which book are you ashamed not to have read? Ulysses by James Joyce, but I might make a start next week – or the week after that … What is the worst thing anyone's said to you? As a young actor, again at the Citizens theatre, I was making an exit and a theatregoer leaned over the balcony and said, 'You're terrible!' What is your guiltiest pleasure? A perfect pint of Guinness. What or who is the greatest love of your life? My wife and daughter – in no particular order. Sign up to Inside Saturday The only way to get a look behind the scenes of the Saturday magazine. Sign up to get the inside story from our top writers as well as all the must-read articles and columns, delivered to your inbox every weekend. after newsletter promotion What does love feel like? Overwhelming, discombobulating, irrational and unreasonable. Have you ever said 'I love you' and not meant it? Oh yes, many times – and then had to do another take because it didn't look like I meant it. What has been your closest brush with the law? I was once approached by a New York cop who said he was sorry but he was going to have to book me for impersonating a Roman emperor. What keeps you awake at night? An inability to get myself to bed at a reasonable hour. Would you rather have more sex, money or fame? Oh, all right then, sex. How would you like to be remembered? As not being a total bollix. What is the most important lesson life has taught you? We're not here for long so don't be wreaking havoc along the way. Tell us a joke Two cows in a field. One of them says, 'I hear there's another outbreak of mad cow disease.' The other one says, 'Yep, thank God I'm a penguin.'
