At the end of the 19the century, a young Danish priest undertakes a difficult journey to a remote part of Iceland to build a church and photograph the locals. In addition to noting the historical rivalry between the two peoples, the priest finds himself confronted with his own faith.
There is a lot of beauty in Godland. However, as in any film where the man is measured against elements greater than himself, Fitzcarraldo To Atanarjuat going through all these works – like The Mission – where faith must face severe tests, the beauty of this third feature film by Hlynur Pálmason (Winter Brothers, A day so white) is earned.
In a contemplative mode, the story recounts a mission entrusted to Lucas (Elliott Crosset Hove), a young Danish Lutheran priest who, at the end of the 19e century, is sent to a remote corner of Iceland to build a church there and take pictures of the local people. The journey, which the filmmaker evokes in a square frame with rounded corners (as if the grandiose landscapes were in the eye of a vintage camera), will prove to be nightmarish.
In addition to the pitfalls associated with traveling by sea and, once the volcanic island has been reached, the winter weather over hundreds of kilometers before arriving at their destination – a real Stations of the Cross – the man of faith must come to terms with his alien status. Not mastering the Icelandic language, Lucas must in fact suffer from the historical hostility of a conquered population towards its conquerors, the Danes directing at that time the destinies of a country whose inhabitants are fiercely independent of spirit.
Designed based on real photographs taken at that time, Godland is thus interested in the daily life of these people living in a harsh environment, but the filmmaker dwells above all on the spiritual combat between the priest and his guide. This confrontation will also result in a deep questioning for a young man in whom doubt gradually sets in, to the point of taking the form of personal bankruptcy.
Launched last year at the Cannes Film Festival, where it was presented as part of the Un certain regard section, Godland is showing in its original version with French subtitles.
Indoors
Drama
Godland
Hlynur Palmason
With Elliott Crosset Hove, Ingvar Sigurdsson, Vic Carmen Sonne
2:23 a.m.