GODLAND

Director: Hlynur Pálmason

2022, Iceland, Sweden, Denmark, France, 143min., NR

Language: In Icelandic and Danish with English subtitles

Screenwriter: Hlynur Pálmason

Cast: Elliott Crosset Hove, Ingvar Sigurdsson, Vic Carmen Sonne

 

The wild, stark and sometimes surreal landscape of Iceland is the beating heart of an important new film by writer/director Hlynur Pálmason. Elliott Crosset Hove gives a riveting performance as Lucas, a priest from Denmark who arrives to set up a new (Lutheran) church. It is a challenging journey made worse when the translator dies and Lucas must depend on Ragnar (Ingvar Eggert Sigurðsson), his obviously hostile guide. At first Lucas is charmed by his Danish-speaking host and the attentions of his appealing older daughter (Vic Carmen Sonne). But by the time the “heathen” villagers erect the new church two things are certain: Lucas is losing his faith in God, while Ragnar – and Iceland – will never stop resisting their colonial rulers. “This arrestingly beautiful journey into the unknown is already one of the year’s best films” Carlos Aguilar, IndieWire.