Director: David Lowery
Notable Cast: Dev Patel, Alicia Vikander, Joel
Edgerton, Sarita Choudhury, Sean Harris, Kate Dickie, Barry Keoghan, Erin
Kellyman, Ralph Ineson
It ain’t easy being green. Although that phrase comes from a
far different period of time and from a much different world of entertainment,
the phrase seems fitting when looking down at the CinemaScore and Rotten
Tomatoes audience reactions to The Green Knight. It’s a film that was
relatively well-received by critics (and if you’re tempted to look down -
you’ll see my own very favorable score for this one) and yet reads divisive
among audiences. The appreciation for its bold visuals rings true across the
board, but the rest… well, the rest of The Green Knight is up for
debate.
This is not an unusual place to be for film studio A24 or
director David Lowery. Both have had their fair share of critical acclaim and
audience push back through their careers. Having Lowery jump on board the A24
train is a natural progression, but it’s the choice of subject matter with The
Green Knight that is most surprising. An artistic fresh and bold take on
the classic Arthurian legend and poem, The Green Knight is both a
heightened and abrasively artsy assault on its viewer, but it’s also a slow
burn and grounded version of it that focuses on realistic character emotions.
It’s not easy being green and balancing those two often very different
approaches in one film, but The Green Knight smoothly accomplishes the
task with striking effectiveness.
Although IP is the name of the game in modern cinema and the
story of The Green Knight has been translated to the silver screen
previously, yes, I’m looking at my copy of Sword of the Valiant on my
shelf right now, it’s not the safest bet to adapt a 14th Century poem. Yet,
writer and director Lowery not only aims to adapt the story, but change
substantial portions of it to reflect some intriguing new themes and narrative
threads. He then goes a step further by crafting a film that pulls away from
explaining large swaths of its plot or character choices and leaves those
elements up to interpretation by the audience.
In this version, Sir Gawain, played with a career defining
intuition and powerhouse performance from Dev Patel, is the nephew of King Arthur,
in another stellar secondary pop performance by Sean Harris. On a Christmas
Day, the woody Green Knight appears to challenge one of Arthur’s knights.
Gawain takes the challenge and beheads the knight, not believing in its claim
that however it is stricken that it will return the blow in one year. The bulk
of the film follows Gawain as he goes on his quest after that year to face his
fate.
Seeing The Green Knight will be substantially helped
by having a basic understanding of Arthurian legends, but it’s not necessary. I
was lucky enough that my significant other is something of a nerd in that arena
and she immediately caught onto much of the film’s subtext that might have slid
under my radar. Unfortunately, to dig into too much of the meaning behind the
film or what certain characters represent would deter from the overall
experience that The Green Knight is so successful at creating.
What can be said is that The Green Knight is one of
the most bizarre road trip films ever crafted. It follows the basic structure
of the classic road trip flick, from the inciting event that leads Gawain on
his quest to the various characters and side quests he must complete while on
his way to face the titular antagonist.
Oftentimes the secondary plots might seem meandering,
particularly in regard to a headless ghost in an abandoned lodge or the
sexually explicit queen trying to entice Gawain behind her husband’s back, but
they all serve two purposes. The first is to craft the atmospheric tension
within the world, visually exploding with textures and colors that indicate the
various obstacles thrown in the path of Gawain. A feat that The Green Knight
accomplishes with impressive impact. These moments all have their own genre
bend, whether its erotic, horror, or dark comedy, and it creates a slickly
fluid diversity within the fantasy world building.
The second is to subtly build the character work around
Gawain and the purpose of his quest. A purpose that isn’t fully revealed until
the enticingly vague and heavily artistic (almost dialogue-less) third act. For
maximum effect and to add further intrigue, continue watching until after the
credits. The film is heavily themed around honor and loyalty. Whether it’s to
his king, to his mother, to the husband with his provocative wife, or his
romantic interest waiting for him at home, The Green Knight has a lot to
say about Gawain and status as a hero in waiting and how the world manipulates
that status to its own needs. In its approach to bridging this subject, the
plot and narrative will take some larger leaps that require the audience to
fill in the blanks, but it’s bold and beautiful in how it accomplishes this
task.
Whether it's the nuanced performances, the balance between realistic
and fantastical set and costume designs, the varied side stories and their
genre elements, or the practically abrasive use of atmosphere, long takes, and
vague dialogue, The Green Knight is a wholly unique version in
comparison to previous cinematic outings. It also makes it one of the more
unabashedly fantastic films released this year. It may not be a cinematic
experience for everyone, particularly in how it makes its audience dig through
the gaps, but for those looking for some impressively challenging cinema, take
a journey and face The Green Knight.
No comments:
Post a Comment