The Green KnightThe "hero's journey" is fundamentally about change, or transformation. It's experienced by one who has undergone hardship and new experiences, and has emerged as a different person. Many memorable stories that have been told throughout civilizations as old as time tell this tale, because it is a metaphor for our own life experiences. The hero journeys somewhere to achieve a goal or "quest", and in many cases returns home to share the newfound wisdom obtained. But when certain death is the destination at the end of the journey, what is a "hero" like Gawain (Dev Patel) to do?
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The Green Knight is a dark fantasy film based on the classic Arthurian myth (Sir Gawain and the Green Knight) about a young knight (Gawain) who, in an effort to prove his bravery, stands up to a challenge made by a mysterious and supernatural "Green Knight" (Ralph Ineson), after none of the other knights of Camelot will rise to meet him. Gawain is the nephew of King Arthur (Sean Harris), who loans Gawain his sword, the mighty Excalibur, to exchange blows with the Green Knight as a part of a "Christmas game". The game involves Gawain delivering a strike to the Green Knight, with the promise that one year later, Gawain must come to the "Green Chapel" deep in the woods so that the Green Knight may return the blow. Gawain is young and whiles away his days drinking and carousing in the brothel, favoring one woman named Essel (Alicia Vikander), who is genuinely affectionate toward him. On Christmas, Arthur and his wife, Guinevere (Kate Dickie), ask Gawain to tell them a story about himself, only to discover that he has none to share. Guinevere adds "yet" to his statement, and king and queen, uncle and aunt, encourage the young man to forge a legend for himself. But Gawain being young--including all of the selfishness and ignorance that comes with youth--feels compelled to prove himself as honorable and brave for its own sake, not for any other greater purpose. So after the Green Knight issues his challenge, Gawain accepts the terms without fully realizing the consequences. He believes that beheading the Green Knight will free him from retaliation. Yet he forgets that he lives in a world where magic is real, and the Green Knight rises afterward to claim his head and remind young Gawain of his promise. Gawain enjoys fame and adoration as a "hero" for the year that follows, yet there is a pervading sense that he is treated with reverence because he is ultimately to be a sacrifice. Even puppet shows for children make it clear what his fate is to be, and the attention he craved fails to adequately quell the dread creeping into his heart.
David Lowery's The Green Knight balances the line of being a retelling of a classic myth while adding a mixture of unease, awe, and worldliness. The Camelot of this film is not a glowing city on the hill, but a dingy, dirty keep, where peasants congregate in the lands Arthur claimed in the bloody wars that preceded this story. Vibrant color is largely absent from this realm; even the "Green Knight" is more verdigris than emerald. The film adds the twist that Gawain's mother is the scheming sorceress, Morgan le Fay (Sarita Choudhury), who along with her coven summons the Green Knight in the first place. What is less clear is whether Gawain's mother knew that her son would be the one to commit himself to a promise of almost certain death, although she gifts him with an enchanted belt meant to protect him from a cutting blow so long as he wears it. This is one of the many ever so slight deviations from the source material that is intended to add greater depth and meaning to Gawain's adventure. Morgan le Fay was described as Arthur's stepsister in the 14th century tale, but the blood relation between her and Gawain was not evident. Here, however, it speaks more to Gawain's character that his mommy has to be the one to set her son on a path of greatness; otherwise, the man-child would merely continue to dream of being a knight while stumbling home drunk and filthy, his boots left behind at the house of ill repute. Yet all men must ultimately spread their wings and face the perils of adulthood for themselves, and Gawain eventually discovers that the charms and trinkets he takes with him out into the wilderness do not truly help him find honor or bravery. In fact, right after he departs, he is set upon by a trio of bandits led by an unsettling scavenger (Barry Keoghan) to steals Gawain's belt and the axe left by the Green Knight last Christmas. Yet despite this, Gawain has these items returned to him in his subsequent encounters after he is challenged to show kindness or other "knightly virtues", regardless of his level of success. Shortly after being robbed, he meets a woman living alone who calls herself Winifred (Erin Kellyman)--a martyred saint in ancient Welsh legend--who asks Gawain to retrieve her "head" from a pond, despite appearing to have her head on her shoulders anyway. Gawain manages to shock the woman by asking what he will receive should he dive into the spring to find the skull, revealing that although he looks like a knight, that Gawain is self-serving deep down. After he fulfills his task--even if out of shame--the axe he lost is mysteriously returned to him. This calls back to an ominous and cryptic reply the scavenger said to Gawain when he asked if his directions to the Green Chapel were true. The scavenger answers that he is in the Green Chapel already. In a sense, Gawain's test of bravery has already begun from the moment he departed Camelot, and that the presence of the primal Green Knight as a arbiter of his bravery is ubiquitous in this wood. Everything around him here is designed to test him and mold him into his true self, be that a brave man or a coward.
A noteworthy episode from the classical tale is also the penultimate challenge for Gawain, when he encounters a keep along his journey, occupied by a "Lord" (Joel Edgerton) and "Lady" (also Vikander), who offer the weary Gawain comfort and shelter as long as he desires. Both have heard of Gawain's quest and assure him that he is but a short distance from the Green Chapel, so he might as well stay for a while and enjoy the pleasures of their home until he absolutely must meet his destiny. It is obvious from the Lady's appearance and searching eyes that she lusts for Gawain, and makes frequent advances toward the young knight, offering to paint his portrait and ultimately offering an enchanted belt to him as leverage to seduce him. Even the Lord appears to harbor some deeper feeling toward Gawain, be it sexual or in the spirit of brotherhood. A reading of the source material adds much more complexity to this episode. In the original tale, the Lord and Lady (named Sir Bertilak de Hautdesert and Lady Hautdesert) are portrayed as manifestations of the Green Knight, and an old crone (Helena Browne) who is present while they dine with Gawain (but never acknowledged) is meant to be the manifestation of Morgan le Fay. In any case, this keep and its occupants seem determined to stymie Gawain's quest to reach the Green Chapel; when that fails, the belt the Lady gives Gawain--which it is never clear if it is in fact the same one gifted to him by his mother or not--is designed to ultimately subvert the promise the young knight made last year. After all, what honor is there in cheating at a game, regardless of the stakes? The climax of The Green Knight shows how all of this seemingly well-intentioned advice and interventions by those who care for Gawain ultimately prove to be his downfall. The question of honor and why it matters is one that others cannot answer for us, nor can they shield us from the consequences of our actions. What is honorable and good, as The Green Knight suggests, may not always be what is safe or comfortable, but it is what is crucial in the hero's journey that each of us experiences in our respective lives.
Recommended for: Fans of a compelling fantasy tale about the painful transition into adulthood and the perils of hero worship, as well as the ephemeral definition of lofty ideals like "honor" and "bravery". The Green Knight is a vivid and dark movie that is often framed like a horror movie, despite having very few moments of explicit violence. Even though there is little to no objectionable language, some of these moments and the mature themes of the movie make it best suited for grown-ups rather than children.
David Lowery's The Green Knight balances the line of being a retelling of a classic myth while adding a mixture of unease, awe, and worldliness. The Camelot of this film is not a glowing city on the hill, but a dingy, dirty keep, where peasants congregate in the lands Arthur claimed in the bloody wars that preceded this story. Vibrant color is largely absent from this realm; even the "Green Knight" is more verdigris than emerald. The film adds the twist that Gawain's mother is the scheming sorceress, Morgan le Fay (Sarita Choudhury), who along with her coven summons the Green Knight in the first place. What is less clear is whether Gawain's mother knew that her son would be the one to commit himself to a promise of almost certain death, although she gifts him with an enchanted belt meant to protect him from a cutting blow so long as he wears it. This is one of the many ever so slight deviations from the source material that is intended to add greater depth and meaning to Gawain's adventure. Morgan le Fay was described as Arthur's stepsister in the 14th century tale, but the blood relation between her and Gawain was not evident. Here, however, it speaks more to Gawain's character that his mommy has to be the one to set her son on a path of greatness; otherwise, the man-child would merely continue to dream of being a knight while stumbling home drunk and filthy, his boots left behind at the house of ill repute. Yet all men must ultimately spread their wings and face the perils of adulthood for themselves, and Gawain eventually discovers that the charms and trinkets he takes with him out into the wilderness do not truly help him find honor or bravery. In fact, right after he departs, he is set upon by a trio of bandits led by an unsettling scavenger (Barry Keoghan) to steals Gawain's belt and the axe left by the Green Knight last Christmas. Yet despite this, Gawain has these items returned to him in his subsequent encounters after he is challenged to show kindness or other "knightly virtues", regardless of his level of success. Shortly after being robbed, he meets a woman living alone who calls herself Winifred (Erin Kellyman)--a martyred saint in ancient Welsh legend--who asks Gawain to retrieve her "head" from a pond, despite appearing to have her head on her shoulders anyway. Gawain manages to shock the woman by asking what he will receive should he dive into the spring to find the skull, revealing that although he looks like a knight, that Gawain is self-serving deep down. After he fulfills his task--even if out of shame--the axe he lost is mysteriously returned to him. This calls back to an ominous and cryptic reply the scavenger said to Gawain when he asked if his directions to the Green Chapel were true. The scavenger answers that he is in the Green Chapel already. In a sense, Gawain's test of bravery has already begun from the moment he departed Camelot, and that the presence of the primal Green Knight as a arbiter of his bravery is ubiquitous in this wood. Everything around him here is designed to test him and mold him into his true self, be that a brave man or a coward.
A noteworthy episode from the classical tale is also the penultimate challenge for Gawain, when he encounters a keep along his journey, occupied by a "Lord" (Joel Edgerton) and "Lady" (also Vikander), who offer the weary Gawain comfort and shelter as long as he desires. Both have heard of Gawain's quest and assure him that he is but a short distance from the Green Chapel, so he might as well stay for a while and enjoy the pleasures of their home until he absolutely must meet his destiny. It is obvious from the Lady's appearance and searching eyes that she lusts for Gawain, and makes frequent advances toward the young knight, offering to paint his portrait and ultimately offering an enchanted belt to him as leverage to seduce him. Even the Lord appears to harbor some deeper feeling toward Gawain, be it sexual or in the spirit of brotherhood. A reading of the source material adds much more complexity to this episode. In the original tale, the Lord and Lady (named Sir Bertilak de Hautdesert and Lady Hautdesert) are portrayed as manifestations of the Green Knight, and an old crone (Helena Browne) who is present while they dine with Gawain (but never acknowledged) is meant to be the manifestation of Morgan le Fay. In any case, this keep and its occupants seem determined to stymie Gawain's quest to reach the Green Chapel; when that fails, the belt the Lady gives Gawain--which it is never clear if it is in fact the same one gifted to him by his mother or not--is designed to ultimately subvert the promise the young knight made last year. After all, what honor is there in cheating at a game, regardless of the stakes? The climax of The Green Knight shows how all of this seemingly well-intentioned advice and interventions by those who care for Gawain ultimately prove to be his downfall. The question of honor and why it matters is one that others cannot answer for us, nor can they shield us from the consequences of our actions. What is honorable and good, as The Green Knight suggests, may not always be what is safe or comfortable, but it is what is crucial in the hero's journey that each of us experiences in our respective lives.
Recommended for: Fans of a compelling fantasy tale about the painful transition into adulthood and the perils of hero worship, as well as the ephemeral definition of lofty ideals like "honor" and "bravery". The Green Knight is a vivid and dark movie that is often framed like a horror movie, despite having very few moments of explicit violence. Even though there is little to no objectionable language, some of these moments and the mature themes of the movie make it best suited for grown-ups rather than children.