A relaxing film that really draws you in with all of it's space and long drawn out shots. Amazing cinematography with beautiful landscapes, shot with a lovely film aesthetic. Hard to to believe this was made in 2022 and not the 80s. I really enjoyed this.

The one star is simply for the cinematography. However, if you want to watch sweeping long drawn out shots of Iceland, perhaps choose a David Attenborough with the mute on. The storyline is badly pieced together, and the character profiles are illogical and not explained. Could easily have been half the time and still shown the same.

Unbelievable, atmospheric colors. Slow burn with multiple explosions in the end. Everything in its right place.

If you like overly long, lingering shots of desolate Icelandic countryside then this is the film for you. It's bleak, joyless and could have been pared back from its 2 hour 20 minute length. Tough going.

Another tragic tale set in a sleepy, picturesque village—I am all for it. Some will find its pace too slow and quiet but I drifted with it, frame by frame, one stir at a time. Let the contexts on colonialism do the clamor through Elliott Crosset Hove's performance. And Maira von Hausswolff - The Academy may have snubbed you but not me. Your work, especially in Godland, blew me away and right off the hills of Iceland. The framing and the beauty in every still shot and panning. You put the godland in Godland. Just beautiful.

Stunning film worth watching

truly a masterful piece of filmmaking, that is very much recommended for any lover of film, and one of the best films of the year to be sure!

This one is the real thing. Don't miss it. It's as close to a masterpiece as we're likely to get this year.

I was drawn in, entertained, and informed.

It gets a lot of mileage out of the constant beautiful shots of the haunting Icelandic landscapes. I'm not convinced that the movie is as profound as it thinks it is but it has a certain appeal when trying to emulate other epics about obsession in the wilderness that preceded it.

A bit slow and vague to my personal taste the movie is divided in two parts that shows the travel and settlement of a young Danish priest (protestant) and photographer to a remote village on Iceland, on the 19th century (then a colony of Denmark, from 1376 to 1918), with distinct languages. The first part focus on the travel and hardship of the travel with the loss of a friend and rising animosity between the priest and some people of the party; the second part focus on the settlement of the priest and some of the locals, with rising of of disputes and claims, while he involves with the daughter of a local farmer and a builder that acompanished him the first part of the movie. The photography is marvelous with the Icelandic landscape and to a degree it shows the variation between the seasons and the body and soul of man, that loses gradually his aim and mission till he looses all of his former personality. But other than that it didn't have a really strong message being more a display of beauty in harshness landscapes and personalities than having a message on itself. For this I score it with a 6.5 out of 10.0 / B-.

A movie with good photography, but that's it. It literally has no story and just tries to make fun of Christians, which is apparently the entire point of the movie, by making the lead character stupid. It's hard to watch characters behave in ways that are dumb and non-sensical for hours.

Hlynur Palmason's Godland continues the tradition of slow cinema as established by his predecessors Andrei Tarkovsky, Stanley Kubrick, and Bela Tarr, among others. When a young Danish priest (Elliott Crosset Hove) arrives in Iceland, he embarks on a journey across the country through a barren but strikingly beautiful and unforgiving landscape in order to build a church in a desolate community. Godland is filled with stunning cinematography, subdued but effective performances, a remarkable use of sound, and a compelling story. Consistent with slow cinema, Palmason also relies heavily on lengthy takes, subtle pans and tracking shots, and, in lieu of excessive dialogue, the creation of visuals to help tell his story. Why the film was shot in 4:3 format is a bit puzzling, but it is otherwise a great film.

slow and exhausting film. Formal work with wonderful photography but everything feels like a cinema laboratory without involving

THE ENDING IS the whole movie.. shouldve been 50 min shorter or 70

I guess this is a 2022 movie, but I saw it this year and feel it is far and away the best film of the year, with the best cinematography I have seen since Himalaya. The long shots that linger and allow you to soak in the beauty might turn fans of non-stop action films off, but to me it was sumptuous. The love story might be predictable, but the characters are anything but, and reminds me quite a bit of living in an isolated Nebraska town of 400 for three years. This is the kind of movie where the setting is as important and memorable as the plot. Treat yourself to it.

Godland is a harsh and beautiful film. A film of staggering heights and strong emotions. A superb meditation on faith and humanity. It aims extremely high and mostly hits its mark. It's an austere film but one that it's possible to connect to if you sink into its beauty. In the late 19th century, a young Danish priest named Lucas is sent to Iceland to build a church for the local people. At this time Iceland was a Danish territory. It's a hazardous journey, beset by difficulty. He travels across the land by horse with the help of a grizzled older local and a young interpreter. The landscape is harsh and unforgiving. It tests not only the physical fortitude of Lucas but also, the mental one. He is pushed to exhaustion. The second half of the film looks at the small locality he arrives at and the building of the church. He meets an older man and his two daughters. Lucas is headstrong and opinionated. He is taught humility, and he even begins to question his faith. Filmed entirely in Iceland and in 4:3 ratio this is a remarkably beautiful film. It's an intelligent look at how humans exist in the physical world and how faith can help and hinder survival. Elliott Crosset Hove is superb as Lucas and Ingvar Eggert Sigurosson is memorable as Ragnar the wise and gnarly man who guides Lucas across the island. This film is engrossing and poetic, a film of magnitude and magnificence.

Boring and depressing; apart from a few fleeting views of a river the landscape was as desolate as the film.

Terrible and beautiful. Elemental forces take centre stage. Humans are reduced to their proper relationship with nature. The struggling passage of packhorses and men is dissolved into nothing as a slow pulling back reveals a mountain face of staggering immensity. An unsettling soundtrack is punctuated by the distant boom of volcanic eruptions. Wind. Ice. Rain. The rush of swollen rivers. The mesmerising flow of lava. Nuance of character and plot line are thin in comparison. Some relief is welcomed in the authentic and at times charming depiction of traditional Icelandic life. The rendering of a particular domestic kitchen scene is sublime. But perhaps what saves the day is the understated yet playful performance of my favourite character (apart from Nature that is)...an Icelandic sheepdog.

Riveting, suspenseful, and beautiful cinematography is the icing on the cake. Each frame was like a picture come to life.