GODLAND (VANSKABTE LAND / VOLAÐA LAND) World Cinema

Hlynur Pálmason (WINTER BROTHERS, AFI FEST 2017) delivers his most brutal and unsparing film yet with his third feature, GODLAND. Set in the late 1800s, Danish priest Lucas (Elliott Crosset Hove) embarks on an arduous voyage to a remote village in Iceland. His mission: build a church before the brutal winter strikes, photograph the local community and somehow remain sane throughout this treacherous journey. Stern and aloof, Lucas repeatedly clashes with his rugged Icelandic guide, Ragnar (Ingvar Eggert Sigurðsson), due to their inability to communicate and polar opposite worldviews. Upon arrival in Iceland, Lucas and the daughter of a local resident begin a cautious flirtation amid the harsh, rural landscape. The culmination of severe conditions, isolation and the promise of romance cause the haughty priest’s once pristine godliness to sour. A stunning epic with sweeping cinematography, GODLAND solidifies Pálmason’s assured voice and status as a visionary filmmaker. –Julia Kipnis