The Legend of the Green Knight will infuriate all action lovers. But it will pleasantly surprise arthouse fans

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Instead of dynamic adventures, you will find a slow and incredibly beautiful film about finding yourself.

On August 26, The Legend of the Green Knight, directed and written by David Lowry, starts at the Russian box office. The main role was played by the British of Indian descent Dev Patel, familiar to viewers from the dramas "Slumdog Millionaire" and "The Lion", as well as the ironic film adaptation of Charles Dickens "The Story of David Copperfield."

Immediately it is necessary to make a reservation that the creative path of Lowry as a director is very diverse. The director managed to work on the family fantasy "Pete and His Dragon", the melancholic "Ghost Story" and the life-affirming "Old Man with a Gun". The trailer for Legend of the Green Knight promised a brutal tale about the Middle Ages. But it’s not that simple.

The fact is that the film was released under the patronage of A24, a small company that has made a name for itself in promoting smart independent cinema. These are unusual horror films ("Reincarnation", "Solstice", "Lighthouse"), and chamber tragicomedies ("Mid-90s", "Farewell"), and even such films, the genre of which cannot be immediately identified ("Under Silver Lake "). Actually, the distribution of "Ghost Story" was also handled by A24.

The Legend of the Green Knight has as much in common with The Sword of King Arthur or The Dragons of Camelot as The Ghost Story has with typical poltergeist stories, namely nothing. And audiences waiting for a mainstream movie about the Middle Ages will be disappointed at best and culture shock at worst.

An almost absent plot and a new reading of the myths about King Arthur

The legendary Green Knight arrives in Camelot on Christmas Eve. The hero offers any of King Arthur's companions to wound him, provided that in a year the daredevil will receive a commensurate blow in response. The challenge is accepted by the royal nephew Gawain, eager to earn a reputation at court. He chops off the Knight's head, but he puts it in its place and leaves. A year later, the guy goes on a journey to fulfill his end of the bargain. On the way, he will meet unusual mythical creatures and get to know himself better.

In fact, the entire plot of the film fits into this description. It is based, incidentally, on the 14th century English poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, which was adapted by none other than JRR Tolkien. But if in the original there was a simple linear narration, albeit obeying a fairy-tale logic, then in Lowry's retelling the form is much more important than the content.

Like The Ghost Story, The Legend of the Green Knight is a typical meditation movie in which literally nothing happens. Moreover, the marketing campaign is structured in such a way that it will be a surprise for the viewer (and whether it is pleasant or not - you decide). The trailer includes all of the most dynamic and effective footage, so you might think that the film will be full of adventure.

Yes, formally no one is cheating you: in The Legend of the Green Knight, both the talking fox and the giants will appear. But these characters don't move the plot forward. They are just part of the atmosphere and almost do not participate in the fate of the hero. Even the actual Green Knight, whose name is in the title, has a minimum of screen time.

But all this does not mean that the script failed. On the contrary, it will just appeal to those who love non-trivial stories based on metaphors and emotions. Although it is still worth getting to know the original poem, at least in the form of a brief retelling. Then many events of the film and especially the motives of the characters will become clearer. For example, where the controversial scene with the kiss of Virgo Patel and Joel Edgerton came from in the film, which in the original had a completely different meaning.

Moreover, it will be more interesting to do this after viewing and enjoy how the mosaic of surrealistic images takes on an intelligible form.

Plucking the world and deliberately slow pace

Viewers who are closer to more intelligible plots may ask: why bother watching such a strange picture? Primarily for the incredible landscapes of Ireland. There are enough of them here to hypnotize any skeptic.

The visually rich atmosphere is emphasized by unusually long static shots. The camera strives to linger longer on the actors or on the next fantastically beautiful landscape - the director seems to give the viewer time to reflect, without rushing him anywhere.

But for many, such meditation will surely tire. Suffice it to say that closer to the denouement there will be a scene where the main character is waiting for the Knight to awaken. And it lasts for several minutes. At some point, it will seem that Lowry is testing the audience for strength or is simply mocking. And then you really want to laugh.

A modern perspective on the traditional role of men

While the original legend reflected the idea of being true to one's word, Lowry is more interested in rethinking the established concept of masculinity. His Gawain isn't sure if he wants to be a knight at all. And the further the plot progresses, the more it feels like the hero is completely entangled in self-determination.

Viewers will never see a man performing feats. He will not even be shown in battle - except for the battle of cutting off someone else's head, whose carrier is not very opposed to execution.

On the contrary, Dev Patel is definitely not playing the smartest, agile and strongest young man. Well, in one of the episodes, Gawain is literally kicked off by teenagers, and he will not resist.

In short, you will see a very unconventional knight who is not ready to die for an idea and often behaves cowardly or indecisively. But at the same time, it will make the viewer think about what he himself would have done in the hero's place.

The episode with the participation of the character Barry Keogan gives a feeling of Gawain's doubts especially well. This young Irish actor will probably be remembered by moviegoers for his roles in Dunkirk and The Killing of the Sacred Deer. In The Legend of the Green Knight, Barry plays a village idiot whose brothers were killed in a brutal and senseless massacre. Moreover, their death is taken for granted.

In this one can discern a kind of protest against the cynical attitude towards the value of human life. Closer to the finale, the protagonist asks closely why he should die so stupidly and ridiculously.

After the release of "The Legend of the Green Knight" on YouTube, there will certainly be a detailed analysis of the plot. Too many aspects remain open for discussion: why does Alicia Vikander play two roles at once? Why is a blind elderly woman on the heels of her heroine? What, in the end, happened in the final of the picture?

If you are ready for the fact that you will not be given answers, feel free to go to the movie. But for those looking for action and adventure, The Legend of the Green Knight may be disappointing. This, of course, is entirely to blame for the weird marketing campaign that created the wrong expectations. Still, such films should either be initially positioned as non-standard films for a narrow audience, or released on Netflix, where they often become niche hits.