Through 56 vignettes, Echo draws a portrait of modern day Iceland at Christmas time. In open countryside, a farm is burning. In a school, a choir is singing carols. In a museum, a woman is arguing with her ex. Whether close or distant, these characters struggle at once with their past and present.

In his confidently unconventional, jigsaw-like Echo, Rúnar Rúnarsson (Sparrows) pieces together a variegated portrait of contemporary Iceland: a spectrum of assorted approaches, scenes, styles, and genres that are continually surprising yet always fascinating. A highly enjoyable and humane film.