Ten short films from Nordic “Directors to watch” follows the December issues of the Nordic film magazines RUSHPRINT in Norway, EKKO in Denmark, Episodi in Finland and FLM in Sweden. One of the directors is Hlynur Pálmason with «A Day or Two»

– How did you get the idea for the film?

“The idea came from a conflict I was having with the short format. I wasn’t very interested in the more traditional way of telling a short narrative story. I felt that 15 minutes would be stronger if one would focus more consistently on one situation or emotion. I was interested in the nervousness, anxiety or unpleasantness in trying to cope with a situation. I wanted the film to be this feeling in the deepest sense, not only in a narrative form.”

– What was the biggest challenge of making the film?

“It was a challenge to work with material, emotions and situations that were enormously complex, but still wanting it too have a clear simplicity and focus.”

– Which feelings do you hope the audience is left with after watching the film?

“I hope they have an experience, a physical one.”

– What has this film meant for your career?

“In the process of making this film, I found out that I was interested in showing the characters within by explaining the world outside and around them.  This was an important step for me, something I find myself going back too.”

– Why does the film look the way it does – aesthetically and stylistically?

“This film was very much a search for my own language. Through a lot of researching, developing, writing and photographing, I slowly began to see and hear A Day or Two. After a while, the film sort of took over and knew exactly what it wanted. But it didn’t come out of chance; it came out of hard work and routines.”

– How do you feel about the result today? – What is good and what is bad?

“The film is dear to me. It’s what I wanted it to be, a helpless statement. Not something I deliberately set out to say, but something I couldn’t avoid saying.”

– What was the most important thing you learned during the making of your film?

“Being truthful to oneself and to the material.”

– Which Nordic directors inspire you?

“That’s a quite accurate question. I´d like to answer this by saying that a lot of people inspire me, not Nordic directors in particular. Right now, I´m reading about the conflicted lives of old modern composers while listening to their music. This is extremely inspiring to me.”

– How would you describe the conditions for making feature films in Nordic countries?

“I´m not familiar enough with the feature film conditions to answer this question.”

– If you could change one thing about Nordic films, what would it be?

“It would be great to see more challenging films. Films that would dictate to cinema and wouldn’t be so preoccupied with meeting ones taste or the taste of the established market. And a lot of films today knowingly come more than half way to meet ones taste.”

– Which actors/film professionals from other Nordic countries would you like to work with?

“I would love to work with Danish producer couple Julie Waltersdorph and Per Damgaard, Swedish Cinematographer Maria Von Hauswolff, Danish Editor Julius Krebs Damsbo, Norwegian Tonemester and composer Lars Halvorsen and Icelandic producer Anton Mána Svansson.”

– What is your next film going to be about?

“My next film is a brother odyssey, set in a religious worker environment during a cold winter. We follow two brothers, their routines, habits, rituals and a violent feud that erupts between them and another family.”

av Jeppe Mørch & Marie Andersen / Filmmagasinet Ekko