The Green Knight

Score:  B+

Directed by David Lowery

Starring Dev Patel, Alicia Vikander, Joel Edgerton, Sean Harris

Running time: 130 minutes

Rated R

Long Story Short:  The Green Knight is the latest film from rising star filmmaker David Lowery, a point as relevant as its being based on a tale of King Arthur's court.  It is full of great images and sounds, conveying a world and a journey that are weird and even illusory.  Dev Patel plays the decidedly non-heroic main character well in this film emphasizing sensation over plot.  Check out this mid-summer Oscar contender.

In Arthur's court, the King's nephew, Gawain (Patel), longs to become a Knight but he is stuck in youthful frivolity.  When a strange creature comes to the court with a challenge, however, Gawain accepts it.  To his and others' surprise, he seems to be victorious, but the "game" is not yet over: in a year, Gawain must face the final part of the challenge.  As Gawain sets off after a too-quick year, he is beset by dangers on his journey, both common and magical.  In order to become a Knight - and simply survive - Gawain must find the necessary courage and honor within himself.

The Green Knight is a unique fantasy film, its style, sound and images making the supernatural even stranger than usual, resulting overall in a fascinating experience.  Made by a top, up-and-coming director in David Lowery, this really does not feel like a typical fantasy film from the very start; it feels grounded in reality, even if many of the fantasy elements are treated as ordinary by the characters.  In fact, it can be difficult to tell what is real and what is dream or illusion, which can be both frustrating and entrancing.  Different characters are played by the same actor; a desperate victim turns out to be a ghost; an anthropomorphic fox comes along for the journey without a comment; the film keeps you off balance much of the time, for better or worse.  The main plot - Gawain's challenge - is parallel to this; logical in that he wants to become a Knight, but the specifics of it are baffling, even unintentionally amusing.

To convey this strange tale, Lowery created a rich, engrossing world of sounds and images.  The score, especially in the first half of the film (at least, that's when I most noticed it), is excellent and, again, goes against what you typically think of in a fantasy.  Yes, there are bits here and there reminiscent of the genre but the lead element is a choir that does as much as anything in the film to set the tone: from creepy to glorious to ominous.  There is plenty of CGI but it mostly blends in to the background, save for a bizarre (and kind of boring) horde of placid giants.  Instead, the visual intrigue comes from phenomenal editing and cinematography.  Things as simple as watching Gawain slowly ride out of Camelot, to a mindbending 360 rotation of both time and camera, make this film an enjoyable experience separate from character, story, and so on.  And Lowery certainly lingers on these images and sounds - mostly to the good, but it results in a slightly overlong film (at least cut out those giants!).

For a final way in which The Green Knight is not your typical fantasy, Gawain is far from a typical hero, whether in battle - there are basically no fighting scenes - or in his disposition.  Dev Patel, far removed from Slumdog Millionaire, is great as the reluctant, often unworthy and humiliated yet still sympathetic Gawain.  It's not an overtly outstanding performance, but he is almost always on screen, mostly has to communicate without dialogue, and allows those surrounding images and sounds to dominate when needed.  Alicia Vikander is excellent as usual, too, in playing two (very) different characters, and supporting actors from Sean Harris's King Arthur to Joel Edgerton's helpful nobleman add nice flavor.  The climactic scene is a visually-arresting, wordless surge ahead in time, but rather than focus on the action, it makes you think about the morals of the story.  It's an ambiguous but fitting ending.

***

I found out about The Green Knight only recently and, seeing its high Rotten Tomatoes score, gave it a chance.  If anything, I'm probably rating it too low; my opinion of it is growing the more I think about it.  I should emphasize - despite this being a tale of King Arthur's court, this is not your typical fantasy.  The other film from Lowery I've seen is The Old Man & the Gun, starring Robert Redford, which is great but much different than this.  Think of it more as a talented filmmaker's (and the talented cast's) most recent project that happens to have visuals and themes that are out of the ordinary.  It's likely to be an Oscar contender, including possibly for Best Picture and Director.  In other words, not your typical summer blockbuster - but just as entertaining, if in different ways.

* By Studio and or Graphic Artist - Can be obtained from film's distributor., Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=63091746