A Little Trip to Heaven (2005)

Solid and Bold indie thriller

A husband and wife tangle with an investigator over her dead brother's million-dollar insurance policy. Visually, it's so beautiful... and yet stark and haunting (apparently it was filmed in Iceland). But what I really found engaging was that it was a noir-esquire mystery but with a very realistic feel. When opportunities present themselves for the film to go down a formulaic road, it doesn't. There's something strangely real about the film, from the first-rate acting, to the dark tone, to the deliberate pace...

After a suspicious fatal car accident in Hastings where the identity of the victim was forged, the Quality Life insurance company sends their smart investigator Abe Holt to identify the body. The unique beneficiary of the one million dollars death benefit is the sister of the victim, Isold, who lives with her son Thor and her husband Fred in a poor cabin in the middle of nowhere. Along the investigation, Abe discloses the truth about the fraud, but feels sorry for Isold and Thor and tries to help them with tragic consequences.

Director: Baltasar Kormákur Starring: Kharl Anton Leigh, Peter Coyote, Forest Whitaker