The Green Knight (2021)

Directed by: David Lowery | 130 minutes | adventure, drama | Actors: Dev Patel, Alicia Vikander, Kate Dickie, Joel Edgerton, Barry Keoghan, Ralph Ineson, Sean Harris, Anaïs Rizzo, Joe Anderson, Noelle Brown, Sarita Choudhury, Nita Mishra, Tara Mae, Atheena Frizzell, Emmet O’Brien

King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table are a rewarding subject for the fine arts. The king and his noble knights can be found in opera, literature and film. You also find them in art that is only loosely based on the legends. You would think that by now everything has been said, written and filmed about Arthur and his posse. Not so. The uncategorized film ‘The Green Knight’ is another wonderful addition to the Arthurian repertoire.

‘The Green Knight’ tells the legend of Knight Gawain and his journey to the Green Knight from the title. That quest is the result of a battle game gone wrong in which Gawain (temporarily) beheads the monstrous Green Knight. On the way to the knight, Gawain experiences all kinds of wonderful adventures. He encounters giants, a damsel in distress (headless) and another damsel in distress (with head), highwaymen and a talking fox. In addition, Gawain must make sure he doesn’t forsake his chivalrous chastity ideals, which is no easy feat with all those ravaged damsels.

This story could have made for a classic adventure movie with lots of guns blaring, high-spirited sex, and a few medieval potions. But ‘The Green Knight’ is more of a cinematic adventure than an adventure film. He tells his story in meditative peace, without too much action. The atmosphere is mysterious, but in a special way. As if we see the world here through the eyes of a superstitious and illiterate medieval person. Sometimes that world becomes even more mysterious when Gawain accidentally eats hallucinogenic berries.

All this is presented in an atmospheric way, with beautiful, surreal visuals, folksy songs and the occasional intertitle in medieval style. With Dev Patel, Alicia Vikander and Joel Edgerton, the film also has great actors who, despite the strange story, always keep their seriousness. Plus, there’s room for some humor now and then, though the film’s tone remains serious and elusive.

If you need a reference, the film’s style and tone are somewhat similar to the novel ‘The Buried Giant’ by Nobel laureate Kazuo Ishigoro. In that novel, too, we experienced Arthur’s Middle Ages (including Gawain) in a completely new way. This proves once again that King Arthur is still a very much alive source of inspiration centuries after his death.