Godland (2022): Thoughts! Questions!
An unfinished church, indeed
I love this film’s aspect ratio – the ratio of the image’s width to its height. Basically, we see a square of moving image surrounded by static black. For me, this always evokes a sense that we catch but a passing moment in the course of ongoing life, all of which proceeds just outside the frame.
Anyway, hello, welcome, and thank you for stopping by. For new visitors, here’s what this situation is all about:
With Savor the View, we’ll watch, think, and talk about movies and the things that matter. A special welcome and thanks to our regular crew!
Each Monday, I share brief, spoiler-free remarks and questions to frame viewing a movie on our own.
Each Thursday, I share post-viewing questions to poke at the issues, ideas, quandaries, inspirations...whatever...that movie might have summoned (spoilers, ahoy!).
Paid subscribers can talk it all out in a weekly Discussion Thread.
General thoughts?
The universal/general
What is faith? What does it look like, who has it, and how do you know?
After watching this film, what do you make of the title?
The specific/unique
How would you describe the relationship between Lucas (Elliott Crosset Hove) and Ragnar (Ingvar Sigurdsson), from the beginning through the end? What informs their opinions of and behavior toward each other?
A substantial part of the movie takes place as the church is being built; the story culminates once the church is finished and services can be held within it. How does this setting contour the action that occurs in and around this space?
What was with the uncomfortably long shot of the worm in the poo?
The viewer is always present
What do you make of the eel story that Ragnar tells just before things on the journey take an unfortunate turn?
How do you feel about the ending? Did the movie set us up to get there? What would you say has happened to Lucas? What was his character arc?
Worthwhile Reads
https://www.theguardian.com/film/2023/apr/05/godland-review-hlynur-palmason
Next Week’s Movie?
For August – the month of “Genre Grab Bag” – The Fisher King (1991)
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