Cinema is full of stories about acrimonious divorces and relationship implosions. The Love That Remains takes a different approach: what happens when love doesn’t explode, but slowly fades away?

In this poetic and slightly surreal family portrait, Hlynur Pálmason follows a family in the year after a divorce. There are no major dramatic confrontations, but rather a series of tender, sometimes absurdly comical moments in which the characters search for new relationships — with each other, with themselves and with the inexorable passage of time.

Through vignettes, seasonal changes and subtle symbolism, a layered slice-of-life dramedy unfolds about parenthood, loss and the residual warmth of a shared life. With strong performances by Saga Garðarsdóttir and Sverrir Gudnason, and an unforgettable role for Panda, the family dog (Palm Dog Award, Cannes), Pálmason confirms his unique talent for atmospheric, introspective cinema.

A tender, comical and complex portrait of a family in transition — and a worthy successor to Godland.