THE GREEN KNIGHT is a visual masterpiece in an old, modern era
David Lowery's film hits the mark as perhaps 2021's best film so far.
Christmas in July? You bet because THE GREEN KNIGHT is a holiday movie, except one including a quest, quite the sensual scenes, a fox, and a roundtable. This is hardly your typical “snowflakes are covering the ground with gifts” story.
THE GREEN KNIGHT is a trip—yes, that kind of trip. Director David Lowery paints a hallucinogenic, dream-like story on the movie-screen canvas that feels like a medieval David Lynch story. The shadows cast through incredible lighting and practical sets and figures who appear accompany this. Certain situations can’t be deciphered between real or dream, either, and it’s ambiguous enough for the viewers to interpret the story in their own minds. You won’t find answers to a few things, but it doesn’t take away from the story. Actually, it adds to it.
Lowery sets out to craft a modern-day medieval story. While there is a typical Knights of the Roundtable, this is a story for the unheralded, unregarded nephew of King Arthur who doesn’t have a tale to tell, as his uncle asks for early in the film. Granted, there is a path to a crown, but it’s not the focus of the story. This isn’t about class or feudalistic themes, but of what honor means. There are just a few topsy turvy ways of reaching that endgame.
Vast spaces consume the sets of the film. Beautiful cinematography is used to scope this out to understand how much ground Sir Gaiwain (Dev Patel) has to cover in this lengthy quest to the Green Knight. Then there are more intimate moments portrayed in bedrooms, face-to-face encounters and other smaller spaces that portray how personal of a story this is for Gaiwain towards finding himself and understanding his own mortality and what it means to have honor. It’s surprisingly a coming-of-age story, a film concept that’s deeply personal and evolutionary, so the viewer gets up close with Patel’s character through fantastic camera work.
Setting the stage for these scenes isn’t just the set or the camera, but the impressive score to create vibes and establish tension, especially early on. Daniel Hart, a frequent Lowery collaborator, is behind the music.
Through exploring Lowery’s land, you have to stay quite patient. The pace over two hours is deliberate and features minimal dialogue, which won’t be for everyone. Ambiguous plot points won’t help the casual viewer, either. But the slow pace allows the viewer to soak themselves up in the story, the stunning landscapes, and the trippy elements that feel straight out of a Denis Villeneuve movie at times, which is no slight but a compliment to how this feature feels on the eyes.
Most of all, this is Dev Patel’s moment. Long has he been mentioned as a leading man, but his previous headlining efforts are in forgettable films, including the Academy Award-winning SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE. LION, THE PERSONAL HISTORY OF DAVID COPPERFIELD and HOTEL MUMBAI are critically appreciated, but they aren’t the vehicles you’d expect for Patel’s acting chops. He was otherwise most known for the British television show, SKINS. Now, he’s established himself as a legitimate player, who should receive more opportunities in epics and other higher-level films which don’t cross into the studio tentpole realm, something he has no interest in returning to.
THE GREEN KNIGHT is a visual masterpiece and a grand ride. It’s one of the best films of 2021 so far. Perhaps it’s the top film of the year right now. This won’t be for everyone, but if you decide to go on this quest, be prepared to be immersed.