The Green Knight (Review)
The Green Knight Slays!
The Green Knight serves as a reminder that, once upon a time, stories taught valuable lessons and morals to guide people through life. Writer/Director David Lowery presents a beautifully executed retelling of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, an Arthurian Legend that receives a healthy injection of fantasy for its big-screen adaptation. When I say “beautiful,” that is exactly what I mean, because The Green Knight is a visual splendor in every regard from the cinematography to the production designs to the fair maidens who Sir Gawain meets along his quest. Speaking of Sir Gawain, Dev Patel is nothing short of outstanding in what is arguably his greatest performance to date. Everything comes together exquisitely to make The Green Knight a must-see movie.
Hopefully, everyone still knows the vague details of King Arthur and his knights of the round. Well, The Green Knight takes place after King Arthur’s (Sean Harris) prime as he looks to the future of his kingdom in his nephew Gawain. However, Gawain is not yet a knight of the round material and doubts he ever will be great enough to live up to their legends. That’s when the monstrous Green Knight (Ralph Ineson) arrives on the scene with just the quest to help Gawain achieve the greatness he desires. Setting out across the countryside of medieval England, he encounters all manner of characters (played by the likes of Alicia Vikander, Erin Kellyman, Joel Edgerton, and Barry Keoghan) with a great many lessons about life to teach him. Over the course of his journey, Gawain learns a great deal about life and, more importantly, the difference between greatness and goodness.
The Green Knight is an allegory dripping with symbolism and metaphors. The easiest to notice is the dramatic use of colors by Lowery that consider both the positive and negative connotations associated with them. Hell, the title of the movie refers to a “Green Knight,” and is quite literal in that regard. This antagonist arrives with a challenge that embodies one of the core tenets of the film, “get as good as you give.” If that sounds familiar, you could rephrase it as “do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” Gawain encounters several characters who offer interpretations on this theme meant to teach him that greatness is only possible for those with goodness in their hearts. That is only the tip of the iceberg for The Green Knight and people will spot all sorts of motifs sneakily woven into the tale from the Hecate Sisters to animal guides. What makes this presentation so fascinating are multiple layers to the symbolism used, but that it never insults the audience by overtly explaining them. The Green Knight is a film meant to be interpreted and, while not difficult, it requires a clear head and keen wit to catch all the details.
Symbolism is nothing without interesting characters, but, of course, Lowery knows that. He adopts the perfect “show, don’t tell” approach to crafting the personas and allows their actions to speak to their motivations. That’s where the incredible cast comes in and The Green Knight features actors well known for giving detail-centric performances. Their smallest gestures speak volumes from gently wiping mud from another’s face to the rhythmic wriggling of spindly fingers. Some characters don’t even have names, yet all of them leave lasting impressions on the audience just as they do on Gawain. Patel is simply outstanding as a reluctant hero filled with uncertainty in his capability to live up to being a knight of the round table. He gives his character a sense of naivety that is both understanding and heartbreaking, given the lessons he must learn. These elements come together to give the character a cloak of cowardice to hide behind, but it’s born from the universal fact that no one wants to die but can only accept its inevitability Patel’s profound performance keeps the audience rooting for him, even when he’s at his weakest and most detestable, making his hero’s journey even more satisfying in the end.
If The Green Knight doesn’t receive Oscar nominations for production design, costuming, and cinematography, I’m ready to swear off the Academy forever. There’s a haunting beauty to the movie that transforms it into a dark fairytale. Lowery knows well that life in the days of “once upon a time” wasn’t all smooching damsels and princes, and doesn’t shy away from that. Humans live in a time of darkness, where they wall themselves off from the world around them in order to protect themselves from nature. It’s a bleak time for humanity, but outside the walls is a vibrant world filled with wonder. The further Gawain gets from the life he knows so well, the more enlightened he becomes, and it reflected this in the dynamic shots of the sprawling landscape he crosses. When it comes to the aesthetics and production of The Green Knight, I struggle to find any fault in this awe-inspiring film.
The only downside I can find with The Green Knight is that while it’s enjoyable, it’s not exactly a popcorn flick. A few members in the audience grumbled about “not getting it” as they shuffled out during the credits, but I believe that this is a film that will speak to everyone as long as they think about what they are seeing. The Green Knight is a work of art, and art is something you need to stop and really look at in order to understand the intentions behind it. There is a purpose to every detail, every gesture, every shadow, every word that is said or left unsaid within the frames of this film. If you are willing to take the time to sit with your phone off and legitimately watch the events of The Green Knight unfold, I promise this movie will reward you in the end. It is a masterpiece of cinema.
