THE LOVE THAT REMAINS (2026, Iceland)

January 29, 2026

Greetings again from the darkness. If not for a few bizarre (and interesting) visual metaphors tossed in, one might mistake this film from Icelandic filmmaker Hlynur Palmason (GODLAND, 2022) as a documentary. After all, we are mostly watching one family’s life over the course of a year. There are no car chases or criminal masterminds – just a few people living their lives.

A simple story or film does not necessarily mean boring or dull. Anna (Saga Gardarsdottir) is an artist striving to get her work displayed in a gallery. Magnus (Sverrir Gudnason) works at sea on a commercial fishing vessel. The two longtime lovers are working through the boundaries of their recent separation. While they keep things very cordial and familiar for their three kids, it seems Magnus (“Maggi”) holds hope that they can reconcile, while Anna is trying her best to maintain the break.

We watch as these normal folks go about their normal days. The kids act like kids – playing and exploring and joking around. Anna meets with an annoying museum curator, and Maggi takes his shifts aboard the ship. Another key player is the family dog – perfectly named Panda. There are times the dog seems to have more personality and energy than the others, but of course, life can be that way … we just go about our daily rituals.

The fragility of relationships is front and center here … even though love still exists. Director Palmason includes some stunning shots displaying the beauty of the Icelandic countryside, and the phrasing of one particular piece of dialogue stuck with me: “A relentless monologue of death.” It’s a toss-up whether this movie is more about normal life or whether it’s as much about being lost at sea (both proverbially and actually). American audience may find the pacing a bit slow, but as you might guess, there’s plenty going on.

Opens in NYC theaters on January 30, 2026 and expands regionally in February.

WATCH THE TRAILER

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Posted by David Ferguson

BORG VS MCENROE (2018)

April 17, 2018

 Greetings again from the darkness. For true sports fans, movies about sports tend to be disappointing. It’s not possible for actors to perform athletically at the same level of sports icons, and inevitably, the writer or director is simply unaware of the nuances and details that make an event or player memorable. The 1980 Wimbledon final between Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe was not simply a marketing dream between two polar opposite personalities; it was also a bravura performance by two competitors fighting for their sport’s pinnacle. It was a transcendent event for those of us (including yours truly) who couldn’t take our eyes off the TV screen.

The debut narrative feature film from director Janus Metz and the script from Ronnie Sandahl never really grasp the impact of the match, and instead turn this into psycho-babble about how parents and coaches may damage the person as they create the player. Sverrir Gudnason plays Bjorn Borg and Shia LeBeouf takes on the John McEnroe role. With roots in Denmark, director Metz likely finds the Borg story more interesting and devotes most of the attention to the cool Swede superstar, and Gudnason performs admirably. However, it’s LeBeouf as Super Brat McEnroe that comes across as a much more intriguing character … and we are left wanting more (and better).

The psychological analysis shows a young Borg (played by his own son Leo at ages 9-13) as an uncontrollable hothead on the court. Sound familiar? Yep, we are informed that the young Borg was a mirror image of the McEnroe he would later face across the net. We see that Borg’s coach Lennart Bergelin (in yet another solid turn by Stellan Skarsgard) drives him to bury his emotions and use them as internal fire for intensity on the court. We also glimpse Borg’s legendary OCD tendencies with his rackets, room temperature and even his interactions with fiancé Mariana Simionescu (played by Tuva Novotny).

For McEnroe, we see how his parents pushed him and were never satisfied (a 96 on your Geography test?  What happened?). We see a young man obsessed with tennis and competition. He charts the tournament bracket on his hotel room wall and refuses to speak to a close friend who happens to be his opponent that day. And of course we witness the on court outbursts … some of which are memes almost 40 years later. His dad, played here by Ian Blackman, strikes the familiar pose in the stands of arms crossed while wearing the white floppy hat.

Presenting this as Muzak (Borg) versus Rock and Roll (McEnroe) is really unfair to both men. Cool and collected versus raging madman underscores the amazing tennis talent. Baseliner versus serve-and-volley was the on court battle. The prim and proper traditions of the sport being dragged into the contemporary world by a young up-and-comer is fascinating and was culturally important. It was a rivalry that rejuvenated professional tennis and it deserved better treatment that armchair psychology.

watch the trailer:

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Posted by David Ferguson