Closing Night
THE LIGHTER SIDE

Grand Finale

SIGURJON KJARTANSSON
Iceland, 2024
95 minutes, Color

In this droll comedy, a beleaguered classical chamber orchestra (actually a string sextet) has been playing to smaller and less-enthusiastic audiences when it learns that the Culture Committee plans to withdraw its funding. The group is already dealing with interpersonal issues—is the violin player cheating on the violist with the bass player?—when news breaks that world-renowned star cellist Klemens is returning to his Icelandic homeland. After a day spent pleading for a reprieve from disaster, band leader Sigríður impulsively calls him and he surprisingly agrees to come to a rehearsal. Of course, this means regular cellist Svenni is out. As Klemens ingratiates himself with the rest of the musicians, the seemingly perfect resolution appears fraught. After a shocking turn, the phrase "the show must go on" becomes both command and curse as the musicians play their most perfect concert for a sold-out VIP crowd.—Dave Nuttycombe

In Icelandic with English subtitles

Followed by a reception