Godland

14 June 2022

Director: Hlynur Pálmason

See

Him: Danish priest Lucas (Elliot Crosset Hove) sets off for Iceland to build a church and parish. Accompanied by an interpreter, an Icelander Ragnar (Ingvar Eggert Sigurᷘsson). The group set to cross the severely beautiful country before the onset of winter. 

Her:

Think

Him: Lucas’ intentions to photograph the people and fjords and highlands are good in theory, but the death of his translator and subsequent linguistic and geographic isolation, the priest’s situation deteriorates with no margin of error in such an unforgiving place.

Her:

Feel

Him: I found the film ambivalent about the protagonist. OR rather indifferent. I didn’t care if he succeeded or failed. There were evident class and racial tensions between Lucas and Ragnar, and subsequently the farmer after his eldest daughter subsequently the farmer after his eldest daughter has a romance with the priest. The irreverent younger daughter was a highlight, as were the Icelandic skalds and timelapses. I don’t like the square aspect ratio like his photographs.