Film Shapes

Hlynur Pálmason's third feature follows his fine A White, White Day from 2019, and this one is also heavy on the white stuff, yes, snow and ice. It charts the physical, and increasingly mental, journey of young Danish priest, Lucas (Elliott Crosset Hove) as he sets off from one side of Iceland to the other to build a church in the late 19th Century. His travelling party includes a translator (Hilmar Guðjónsson) and a few hired hands, led by the recalcitrant Ragnar (Ingvar Sigurdsson). The first act of the film is comprised of this journey - think Aguirre, Wrath of God but with tundra instead of jungle. When they finally arrive, after no little calamity, they proceed to to get stuck into construction. The cinematography by Maria von Hausswolff is fantastic, from the unearthly landscape vistas to the incredible shots of lava spewing down the side of a volcano. The aspect ratio of 4:3 with rounded edges is a nice touch too. The scenery is important for thematic reasons, it almost to...