Godland

If you like overly long, lingering shots of desolate Icelandic countryside then this is the film for you. It's bleak, joyless and could have been pared back from its 2 hour 20 minute length. Tough going.

Another tragic tale set in a sleepy, picturesque village—I am all for it. Some will find its pace too slow and quiet but I drifted with it, frame by frame, one stir at a time. Let the contexts on colonialism do the clamor through Elliott Crosset Hove's performance. And Maira von Hausswolff - The Academy may have snubbed you but not me. Your work, especially in Godland, blew me away and right off the hills of Iceland. The framing and the beauty in every still shot and panning. You put the godland in Godland. Just beautiful.

Stunning film worth watching

truly a masterful piece of filmmaking, that is very much recommended for any lover of film, and one of the best films of the year to be sure!

This one is the real thing. Don't miss it. It's as close to a masterpiece as we're likely to get this year.

I was drawn in, entertained, and informed.

It gets a lot of mileage out of the constant beautiful shots of the haunting Icelandic landscapes. I'm not convinced that the movie is as profound as it thinks it is but it has a certain appeal when trying to emulate other epics about obsession in the wilderness that preceded it.

A bit slow and vague to my personal taste the movie is divided in two parts that shows the travel and settlement of a young Danish priest (protestant) and photographer to a remote village on Iceland, on the 19th century (then a colony of Denmark, from 1376 to 1918), with distinct languages. The first part focus on the travel and hardship of the travel with the loss of a friend and rising animosity between the priest and some people of the party; the second part focus on the settlement of the priest and some of the locals, with rising of of disputes and claims, while he involves with the daughter of a local farmer and a builder that acompanished him the first part of the movie. The photography is marvelous with the Icelandic landscape and to a degree it shows the variation between the seasons and the body and soul of man, that loses gradually his aim and mission till he looses all of his former personality. But other than that it didn't have a really strong message being more a display of beauty in harshness landscapes and personalities than having a message on itself. For this I score it with a 6.5 out of 10.0 / B-.

Hlynur Palmason's Godland continues the tradition of slow cinema as established by his predecessors Andrei Tarkovsky, Stanley Kubrick, and Bela Tarr, among others. When a young Danish priest (Elliott Crosset Hove) arrives in Iceland, he embarks on a journey across the country through a barren but strikingly beautiful and unforgiving landscape in order to build a church in a desolate community. Godland is filled with stunning cinematography, subdued but effective performances, a remarkable use of sound, and a compelling story. Consistent with slow cinema, Palmason also relies heavily on lengthy takes, subtle pans and tracking shots, and, in lieu of excessive dialogue, the creation of visuals to help tell his story. Why the film was shot in 4:3 format is a bit puzzling, but it is otherwise a great film.

slow and exhausting film. Formal work with wonderful photography but everything feels like a cinema laboratory without involving