A Knight Searches for Honor, but What Will Such Honor Bring?

Dev Patel in "The Green Knight"
Photo Credit: RottenTomatoes.com

Writer-director David Lowery is someone whose filmography has told several kinds of stories.  He has the romantic drama “Ain’t Them Bodies Saints,” the fantasy adventure “Pete’s Dragon,” the supernatural drama “A Ghost Story,” and the biographical film “The Old Man and the Gun.”  It’s safe to say that with what he’s put out so far, he doesn’t like to repeat himself.

That trend continues with his latest and most ambitious film, the medieval fantasy, “The Green Knight,” where a world of knights, kings, queens, and witchcraft is explored with an invigorating eye.

Sir Gawain (Dev Patel) is a young man who has been asked to join King Arthur’s (Sean Harris) Round Table.  When the Green Knight (Ralph Ineson) arrives at the king’s court, he challenges the knights to a game: one shall strike him and win his axe, but then must venture to the Green Chapel in one year to receive a similar blow.  Gawain chops off the Green Knight’s head, and one year later, must seek him out to fulfill his end of the bargain.

Patel offers a performance that presents a regality to his character, someone who’s confident in the great fortune that his future might hold.  Patel embraces the adventurous nature and bravery of a knight that absorbs you in his journey across dangerous lands.  The power that Patel exhibits in bringing Gawain to life not only has you see his character’s courage, but also the destructiveness of his pride.  Patel shows the stubbornness in Gawain’s need to become a legend, and it’s from here that Gawain displays his fear of mortality and not being remembered as a hero.  The weight of this provides a heartbreaking angle to Patel’s performance, and his work in the film succeeds in painting an epic and flawed hero.

Alicia Vikander has dual roles as Gawain’s lover back home and a Lord’s wife at a castle that Gawain comes across late in his travels.  Although Vikander is memorable in both roles, it’s her second role as the Lady that’s superb.  There’s a mysteriousness to this character that adds quite a bit to the distinctiveness of this story’s retelling, and the enigmatic nature to her character is heightened by a haunting monologue that she gives about the natural world outliving the flesh and blood of humanity.  It’s a scene that gives a new meaning to Gawain’s journey and will have you forming a few interpretations.

Lowery’s screenplay, which is based on the 14th-century poem, “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight,” is a bit like his screenplay for “A Ghost Story,” where he presents the main character’s arc in a way that creates a mediative experience as you watch his quest unfold against the greater scope of the world.  There are several tasks that Gawain must complete on his journey, but this never makes the narrative feel episodic.  Instead, it’s all meant to add layers to his character as he makes his way towards the final challenge, all of which builds up to a hard-hitting and thought-provoking finale that will spur lengthy discussions in the theater parking lot.

The cinematography by Andrew Droz Palermo, who collaborated with Lowery on “A Ghost Story,” offers beautiful imagery of the lands that Gawain must travel.  Between the forests, mountains, and expansive flatlands, all of this contributes to the epic nature of the main character’s journey.  We also get a few long takes as Gawain travels through the imposing and gorgeous terrains, and this camerawork allows for these lands to unfurl through these uninterrupted shots that show just how grand these regions are.

Despite this being an indie movie with a relatively low budget, Lowery’s filmmaking talents allow for this movie to express a huge cinematic appearance that one would experience with a big-budget production.  This is a fantasy film that looks and feels unlike any other that you’ve seen, and this is because Lowery’s vision not only delivers the grandness that this genre can offer, but also gives us a thorough character study of Gawain and why striving for greatness means so much to him.  Lowery’s dedication to detail transports you to this Arthurian setting, absorbing you in Gawain’s quest and offering both emotion and awe-inspiring adventure in equal measure.

If you’re searching for a cinematic journey that’s rich in meaning, then ride out with “The Green Knight.”

Grade: A