Godland
Serene, visually stunning drama about a young Lutheran priest sent to the Danish colony of Iceland to supervise the construction of a church.
Suggesting HEART OF DARKNESS or AGUIRRE, THE WRATH OF GOD reimagined by Andrei Tarkovsky, Hlynur Pálmason’s GODLAND offers an analysis of the destructive spiritual and psychological aspects of colonialism. The opening scene perfectly encapsulates the privilege and contempt that characterizes the colonizer, as the young priest Lucas, being sent in the late-19th century to take over a parish in remote Iceland (then a Danish colony), meets with his gluttonous, profane superior. The older man tells him that Iceland is pretty much hell on Earth, but everything will be okay if he adapts to the circumstances Icelanders face – something far easier said than done.
From the moment he arrives, it’s clear Lucas is ill-suited for this assignment. Uninformed, inexperienced, and ridiculously proud, Lucas is paranoid and threatened by everyone. The biggest threat in Lucas’s eyes is his guide Ragnar, who’s as accustomed to the harsh environment as Lucas is discomfited. Their relationship soon devolves into a fierce, dangerous battle of wills between colonizer and colonized. (source: www.tiff.net)