Godland

2022 2h 23m DA

👍

6.7

SOLID

★6.7TMDB · 215

Drama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

In the late 19th century, a young Danish priest travels to a remote part of Iceland to build a church and photograph its people. But the deeper he goes into the unforgiving landscape, the more he strays from his purpose, the mission and morality.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Elliott Crosset Hove
Lucas
Vic Carmen Sonne
Anna
Ingvar E. Sigurðsson
Ragnar
Jacob Lohmann
Carl
Ída Mekkín Hlynsdóttir
Ida
Waage Sandø
Vincent
Hilmar Guðjónsson
Translator
Gunnar Bragi Þorsteinsson
Gunnar

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Hlynur Pálmason
Writers: Hlynur Pálmason
Languages: Danish, Icelandic
Countries: Denmark, France, Iceland, Sweden

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 31% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 4 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: Danish, Icelandic.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 4 countries: Denmark, France, Iceland, Sweden.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Hlynur Pálmason, shot by Maria von Hausswolff. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Alex Zhang Hungtai. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Julius Krebs Damsbo shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Elliott Crosset Hove and Vic Carmen Sonne and Ingvar E. Sigurðsson carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Hlynur Pálmason directs. Maria von Hausswolff behind the camera. Alex Zhang Hungtai scores. Julius Krebs Damsbo cuts. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in Denmark, France, Iceland, Sweden. Dialogue in Danish, Icelandic.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Earned back only 31% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
2Released 4 years ago.
3Dialogue crosses 2 languages: Danish, Icelandic.
4International production across 4 countries: Denmark, France, Iceland, Sweden.
5Directed by Hlynur Pálmason, shot by Maria von Hausswolff. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by Alex Zhang Hungtai. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor Julius Krebs Damsbo shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Elliott Crosset Hove and Vic Carmen Sonne and Ingvar E. Sigurðsson carry the top of the cast.
9IMDB entry: tt19623228 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

The technical file

Cinematography: Maria von Hausswolff
Original score: Alex Zhang Hungtai
Editing: Julius Krebs Damsbo
Production design: Frosti Fridriksson
Costume design: Nina Grønlund
Makeup / hair: Katrine Tersgov
VFX supervisor: Anders Nyman
Sound: Kristian Eidnes Andersen
Stunt coordinator: Jón Viðar Arnþórsson
Runtime: 143 min · 2h 23m
Status: Released
Budget: $5,000,000
Box office: $1,560,518
Return: 31% of budget
Original language: DA
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: Godland (2022)

Awards

Gold Hugo

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

Hlynur Pálmason

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2023-04-13
★ 7/10
Fr. Lucas (Elliott Crosset Hove) is despatched by his bishop to a remote settlement in Iceland where he is charged with building a church and establishing a parish. Upon arrival, he is met by "Ragnar" (Ingvar Sigurdsson) - a rather unwelcoming man, who is tasked with guiding him to the hamlet many days trek away. Their journey tests the mettle of the young priest. The hostility of the environment, the indifference of his travelling companions, the cold, the wind, the rain - all of these make him consider seriously what he is doing and whether he actually has the faith. His exhaustion causes him to finally fall from his horse and upon wakening we discover that he has luckily arrived at his destination and is being nursed by "Anna" (Vic Carmen Sonne). He is broadly welcomed and the construction of his church proceeds but he is not a man at ease with his surroundings, his new-found parishioners and but for an increasingly close relationship with "Anna" would be an inch from despair. Is this a place where he can settle and live? The cinematography is gorgeous - make sure you take a jumper when you watch it. The sheer inhospitableness of this island. It was hardly a place for the indigenous ponies, it is certainly not a place for a clergyman used to home comforts now reduced to sleeping in a thin canvas tent! He was a photographer - and the film is inspired by a small collection of his photographs that were found. it was possibly this photography that he felt gave him a purpose as the man we see at the end bears little resemblance to the one we meet in Denmark at the beginning. This features a very strong performance from Hove. He manages the transformation of his character well and that encourages us to feel invested in him and his conflict. I did not enjoy, nor really understand, the last fifteen minutes. The story takes a turn for the brutal and the tragic in a way that seemed to me unnecessary and somewhat inexplicable. Cause and effect - but why? Perhaps I missed something? Anyway, this is well worth watching and though a bit long, is quite thought-provoking at times.
Brent Marchant2023-06-30
★ 7/10
What is God? Is it a reasoned, rational civilized entity or a wild, untamed force full of untamed power in search of being reined in? And, in light of that, then, what kind of relationship are we supposed to have with this elusive divine enigma? That’s one of many unexpected challenges put to a young Lutheran priest (Elliott Crosset Hove) who’s charged with building a church in a small community of Danish immigrants transplanted from the homeland in late 19th Century Iceland, the so-called “unforgiving island.” But, rather than sail directly to his new future home, he chooses to land on the island’s southeastern coast and cross the diverse terrain to his destination, partly to get to know the land and its people but also to indulge his hobby as a pioneering photographer. Once there, however, he gets more than he bargained for, given the difficulty of the journey and the many extreme differences in language, sensibilities and rugged lifestyle compared to the more genteel Denmark he left behind. This combination of elements tests his wits, his patience, and, above all, his faith, as events unfold in unforeseen and potentially disturbing ways. It’s an evolutionary journey for which he’s unprepared and often unable to fathom, prompting him to question much of what he believes and how he conducts himself. The result is a thoughtful meditation on these issues, featuring positively stunning cinematography, fine performances and superb production values. The pacing is surprisingly well balanced, too, especially for a film with a 2:23:00 runtime, though some of the picture’s montages – as beautiful as they are – probably could have been dialed back somewhat without significantly impacting the finished product. Writer-director Hlynur Pálmason’s fact-inspired tale is arguably his best work to date, but be sure to give this one the time that it deserves to thoroughly appreciate and enjoy it, both for its sheer beauty and for everything it has to say about the divine and the place it occupies in our lives.
BornKnight2024-02-20
★ 6/10
A bit slow and vague to my personal taste the movie is divided in two parts that shows the travel and settlement of a young Danish priest (protestant) and photographer to a remote village on Iceland, on the 19th century (then a colony of Denmark, from 1376 to 1918), with distinct languages. The first part focus on the travel and hardship of the travel with the loss of a friend and rising animosity between the priest and some people of the party; the second part focus on the settlement of the priest and some of the locals, with rising of of disputes and claims, while he involves with the daughter of a local farmer and a builder that acompanished him the first part of the movie. The photography is marvelous with the Icelandic landscape and to a degree it shows the variation between the seasons and the body and soul of man, that loses gradually his aim and mission till he looses all of his former personality. But other than that it didn't have a really strong message being more a display of beauty in harshness landscapes and personalities than having a message on itself. For this I score it with a 6.5 out of 10.0 / B-.