When the Light Breaks

The film opens by introducing Diddi and Una in the early stage of their relationship, moving from an ocean outlook to Diddi's house. They talk in bed, and Diddi leaves early; Una overhears Gunni coming home and quietly sneaks out. A performance of lights set to Jóhann Jóhannsson's Odi et Amo unfolds into a road tunnel scene that ends with a massive fireball, signaling catastrophe.

The camera reveals the tunnel disaster as the lights sequence culminates in a fiery explosion. The event is presented as Iceland's worst tunnel tragedy, setting the day’s mood of shock. The tunnel sequence foreshadows the emotional turmoil the friends will confront as they learn who survived and who did not.

Una and Gunni meet at the arts college where they study with Diddi. Una has not yet heard about the tunnel disaster, and Gunni gently reveals that Diddi may have been in the tunnel. They begin to wrestle with uncertainty and responsibility.

The friends gather at a Red Cross center to hear the grim news: Diddi has died. The mood is subdued and collective; everyone begins to mourn in a shared, quiet sense of loss. Una leaves the center unable to fully process what she has learned.

After a brief reconciliation with her father, Una returns to join the friends at a bar. There she meets Klara, Diddi's girlfriend, which intensifies the tension around Diddi’s private life and the grief they share. The moment marks the start of a delicate shift in how each person understands loyalty and love.

At the bar, Klara reveals that Diddi had told her she was a lesbian, while Una confesses she is pansexual. The discussion highlights the public face versus private life of the deceased and the complexities of mourning. The atmosphere mixes grief with hints of hidden relationships that complicate their loyalties.

In a private conversation later, Gunni confirms that Una and Diddi were indeed lovers, even as Diddi had disclosed the affair to Gunni. Una wrestles with resenting Klara as the public girlfriend while secretly grieving a covert relationship. The revelation deepens the film's tension between truth, identity, and loss.

The country falls into national mourning as the friends participate in an impromptu service at Hallgrímskirkja, Iceland's largest church. The service provides a public space for collective grief and shared memory. The scene underscores how a community responds to personal tragedy.

After the service, Klara and Una step outside for a cigarette, where Klara disparages the friends' performance art. Una counters by showing how their art can reveal additional perspectives on grief, identity, and connection. The exchange deepens the contrast between public mourning and private experience.

The party becomes a raw space for shared grief, with tears and awkward humor mingling in the late hours. Friends try to process their loss while confronting the fragile loyalties between Klara, Una, and Diddi's memory. The atmosphere blends intimate confession with collective sorrow.

As the party ends, Una and Klara stand on either side of a glass door, their reflections merging in a quiet, symbolic moment that hints at a new closeness. The image carries a sense of unresolved tension and potential connection amid memory and mourning.

The film ends with Una and Klara lying close together in bed, mirroring the opening sequence's intimacy. The closing image is paired with a final repetition of Odi et Amo as lights on water reflect the setting sun on the ocean, linking the day’s start and end. The scene leaves their futures open but suggests a fragile new connection amid memory and mourning.