An epic fantasy adventure based on the timeless Arthurian legend, “The Green Knight” tells the story of Sir Gawain (Dev Patel), King Arthur’s reckless and headstrong nephew, who embarks on a daring quest to confront the eponymous Green Knight, a gigantic emerald-skinned stranger, and tester of men.
David Lowery’s “The Green Knight” is a striking reimagining of the 14th century chivalric romance “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.” One does not necessarily need to know the story to be completely enthralled by Lowery’s creation. You are transported, consumed by hues of greys and greens, choral whispers, and ambushed by the foolhardiness of youth. It is a world where magic has yet to be excised from daily life; where Christianity, pagan-lingerings, and witchery create a delightful web of interplay, influencing the hero every step of the way. While some may accuse the film of being slowly paced, Lowery has given his audience the opportunity to be fully doused in his Arthurian dreamscape, allowing the soulful journey of a young Sir Gawain, seep into our minds and pilfer its visions to salve our own longing for such a journey.
Dev Patel is our shiftless Gawain, nephew to the King (Sean Harris). His youthfulness is stark and unyielding when sat next to the weary faces of the King and Queen (Kate Dickie) and other knights. The grooves of their faces and the cool of their eyes contain the multitudes of lives lived and wars fought. Their voices and movements exude a ghostly reverence that could never be commanded or copied by a lesser person. There is a noted unsteadiness to Gawain. While he romps with Esel (Alicia Vikander) in what appears to be a brothel, no cares seemingly to be had, you can still sense his longing for something beyond himself. To be great, to be known. To know there are still journeys to be had. To know that he will not be left behind swilling his life away in a stale youthful jadedness. His mother, portrayed by a beguiling Sarita Choudhury, perhaps disturbed by her son’s state, kick starts a game designed to give Gawain what he longs, or for what he thinks he longs. Now enters the Green Knight (Ralph Ineson).
The Green Knight is formidable yet jolly and has come to entice those present to a game. Whoever dares to strike a blow to the Green Knight will receive the knight’s ax, but must also travel to the knight’s Green Chapel a year later to receive the same blow. Simple. Gawain takes up the challenge, his apprehension present but his desire for a glimmer of notoriety is stronger, and a beheading ensues. Unbothered, and cruelly jolly, the Green Knight reminds Gawain of the appointment he must keep, and then he trots off on his horse, head in hand. The reality slowly sets in that while it is a game, it is not “just a game.” The appointment must be kept. The seasons pass, the anticipation of Gawain’s journey is woven into everyday life, and then the day comes where Gawain sets off alone where he’ll face the perils of the land, childlike brutes, ghosts, and feminine wiles. And then, ultimately, he will endure the measure of his worthiness when again faced with the Green Knight.
David Lowery’s “The Green Knight” spellbinds you. Your eyes, your ears, and your breath are no longer yours. You are fully enraptured. You can feel the harshness of the land, the damp settling on your skin. The isolation of the hero is your isolation. His triumphs and doubts are also yours. You can feel the biting of the Lady’s (also Alicia Vikander) diatribe of the color green, and the fear it evokes. And you can feel the tenderness of the Lord (Joel Edgerton). There’s a sharpness in the stupor that “The Green Knight” conjures. Lowery has ingeniously stitched together the various interpretations and focal points cast by scholars throughout the centuries and fashioned a film full of feminine power, knightly duty, and spiritual symbolism. It’s a feast for the eyes and the soul.
In Theaters Friday, July 30th
