A fascinating allegorical epic, “The Green Knight,” directed by David Lowery, is a case study in how technical elements of filmmaking make a work whole. This immersive adaptation of the 14th-century tale “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight” centers Gawain’s (Dev Patel) mission to find the Green Knight (Ralph Ineson) a year after he loses a challenge at a Christmas feast at Camelot to rightfully win the enigmatic figure’s axe.
Sir Gawain used his uncle King Arthur’s (Sean Harris) sword in an attempt to end the Green Knight’s life with a single blow. He fails, after trying to slice the knight’s head clean from his neck, but the knight leaves the axe as a parting gift of sorts.
Shawty Knightsworth then gathered his severed cranium, restated the challenge to Gawain and onlookers, manically laughed, and departed. (Loved it.)
Throughout the year following the challenge, Gawain is celebrated for doing, well…nothing. He hadn’t accomplished anything really. He did not kill the Green Knight, which was the mandate. He kinda skirted by on mediocrity and never corrected his Camelot fandom about what actually occurred.
Nearly a year goes by, and the anxiety sets in. Gawain must face the truth, and do so with honor.
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Color:
The film’s title suggests the works’ palette, but I admired that the costume designer, colorist, production designers and lighting shawties presented ranges that played into the (medieval) times, almost stereotypically, but with results that felt singular and memorable.
So yes, the greens were poppin’. But it was the fluctuations of the color’s gradient and how they were applied that stood out. 😍😍
I noted the expected forest and hunter greens, but during the feast chamber at Camelot, the darkness of the Green Knight’s physical presence illuminated with a bluish tint. Absolutely gorge.
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Also, the prominent contrasts with the antique gold-ish tones, and complementing green with fiery reds balanced the darker, slate gray stone-washed hues.
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The deep golden-olive cloak Gawain wore offered an immediate pop of color to most scenes, but especially when he traveled through different forests. That garment acted as a security blanket, even more than the green fabric belt his mother gifts and wraps around him as the literal, magically-enforced protection he’s afforded throughout his journey.
The fox’s reddish-brown hair in contrast with green and browns of the different settings was 🔥🔥🔥.
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Winifred’s (Erin Kellyman) curly red hair mimicked a similar contrast as the fox, which added a beautiful depth to her featured scenes.
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The application of greens + reds in this film also reminded me of the wardrobe/production design palette of Alfred Hitchcock’s “Vertigo” (1958). 👌🏾 👌🏾
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Cinematography:
Crisp. Like a Tom Ford suit worn by Tilda Swinton.
Just…bloody effing good’t. I want more.
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Lowery, the cinematographer Andrew Droz Palermo, the art directors Christine McDonagh + David Pink, the colorist Alastor Arnold, and the production designers put on a clinic with this one. I’m tryna see when classes start because GAWDAMN. 🔥🔥🔥
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All the establishment shots of Gawain entering or leaving a location were incredible.
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Lowery and Palermo used both light (time of day) and camera motion (180- to 360-degree panning) to emphasize the duality of Gawain’s perspectives. The 180-degree camera flip used after Gawain ingested cave mushrooms was fantastic—so much going on with the fungi’s hallucinogens, the howl communications between the giants and the fox, and his interactions with The Lord (Joel Edgerton) and The Lady (Alicia Vikander). Definitely made for a spellbinding and dizzying second act. 👌🏾👌🏾👌🏾
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The time and light dynamic worked its ass off during the final act of the film when Gawain finally finds The Green Knight, but must wait until Christmas Day (three days from his arrival) for him to awaken. The three synchronized transitions from day to evening to night were great—you could see the fatigue in Gawain’s whole body. He was determined to get this shit over with. Homie was over it!! 😂😂
Also, shouts to the continuity of these scenes too!!! The audience (and Gawain) knew it was at least four days before Christmas because when he arrived at the Lord’s castle, and it was mentioned that it would take him at least one day to travel to the Green Knight’s Chapel from there.
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The editing and writing were effective during the final act—that plot subversion, kind of like in “La La Land” (2016) with “the kiss,” was glorious. ❤️🔥❤️🔥 After the Green Knight awakened, acknowledged Gawain, and restated the challenge, what followed was an imagining of Gawain’s cowardice for taking a less than honorable route for his self-preservation.
During these sequences, Gawain bucked at the reassurances of his mother’s gift and overlooked all the roadblocks, necessary detours, and lessons he’d learned to get to the Chapel. Gawain had accepted a fate that would’ve been most predictable given his year-round self-congratulatory maneuvering and needless elevation of the falsehoods about the initial challenge.
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But, in the end, the aside was not as appeared.
The film concludes with an ambiguous final scene.
And it was nearly perfect.
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In short…
🪓 A24 has yet to take an “L” in my book.
🪓 Dev Patel is one of the finest men in Hollywood. Lowery and nem knew what they were doing putting him in those low-cut blouses and such. Y’all aint slick. (**sings** “I want to siiiiiit on itttttt…”) 🙃 😏 😏
🪓 I loved that despite the film’s truncated title, the titular character was only in the film for like 15 minutes.
🪓 I dug the final act’s plot subversion—a refreshing narrative smack! 💥👋🏾
🪓 Daniel Hart, the film’s composer, and the sound department need all of the awards. 🏆🏆🏆
🪓 This film was epic, felt original, and was beautifully executed.
🪓 “The Green Knight” is my second favorite Christmas movie, behind “Elf” (2003).
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This one isn’t gonna be for everyone. I’d recommend this film to those who appreciate the technical elements of filmmaking, arthouse film folks, and shawties who fantasize about Dev Patel. Salute a talented, unproblematic, consistent, fine king. 🤴🏽
