FILM REVIEW: "Godland" is a bleak, meditative journey through 19th century Iceland
Godland is a road trip film like no other- a Danish priest, a translator and a ragtag group of guides fulfilling a difficult journey across 19th-century Iceland.
Godland begins with the bequeathal of a quest to a young priest, Lucas (Elliott Crosset Hove), who is tasked with leaving Denmark to complete an Icelandic town’s church before the end of winter. As he cannot speak the local language, his Danish/Icelandic translator (Hilmar Guðjónsson) is his only companion for the journey; the others in his party all gruff locals, led by the particularly surly Ragnar (Ingvar Sigurdsson). Lucas and the party struggle to load horses with supplies, heavy religious paraphernalia, and most interestingly, his wet-plate photography equipment.
The party’s inability to communicate in their native languages is a focal point by writer/director Hlynur Pálmason, often sitting in uncomfortable silence and whistling wind, only broken by Ragnar’s infinite songbook of grim Icelandic folk tunes. This communication breakdown is made even more difficult for English viewers, switching between italicised for Icelandic and standard for Danish, and then even further bracketed English translations of the interpreter’s translations. It’s a little difficult to follow who can understand who in some scenes, leading to a few missed revelations about characters’ motivations and reactionary moments. While happy to sit in this silence for the majority of the film, when characters do finally talk turkey or take action, Godland does lead to some dramatic results.
The cinematography of Icelandic scenery surrounding the journey is the best part of Godland. There are lingering shots of waterfalls, misty plains, mountains and volcanoes, many unrelated to the party, possibly to reinforce how small they are in comparison to the country around them. The film’s boutique 4:3 aspect ratio (with rounded edges even) is a nice touch, adding to the film’s framing device of Lucas’ photographs being found years later and inspiring the story. The square nature of the film stock would lead one to believe it would take away from the breathtaking nature of the scenery, but in fact, somehow adds to its beauty.
Godland’s bleak two-and-a-half-hour journey with a lot of silence and scenery may not be for all audiences; a particularly slow central third thankfully gave way to some new characters and settings. By the end of the film though I was gripped by its incredible time-lapse scenery shots, adding visuals to the film’s lingering musings on life, death, faith and nihilism.
