Robert Eggers’ The Northman is a historical-fantasy Viking epic released to theatres on April 22. The film tells the story of a young man named Amleth who watches his uncle murder his father and take his mother as his wife. Years later, an adult Amleth (portrayed fantastically by Alexander Skarsgård) has joined a crew of brutal Viking raiders. After one of their raids, he encounters a mysterious woman called The Seeress (portrayed by Björk, in her first acting role since 2005) who reminds him of his true calling — that is, to avenge his father by murdering his uncle and rescuing his mother. If the premise sounds familiar, that’s because this story is based on the ancient folktale that provided the inspiration for William Shakespeare’s Hamlet. Blending light elements of fantasy with intense adherence to historical accuracy, Eggers more than achieves this goal. I won’t hesitate to say that this may be one of my favorite films I’ve seen this year so far.
While set primarily in Iceland, the film was shot in Ireland. The cinematography is absolutely brilliant, which should come as no surprise to those familiar with Eggers’ previous films, The Witch and The Lighthouse. Joining the aforementioned Skarsgård and Björk, the cast also includes Anya Taylor-Joy, Willem Dafoe, Ethan Hawke, Nicole Kidman, and Claes Bang. While certain scenes have beautiful colour grading for effect, the majority of the film uses natural lighting, which adds to the somber mood of the story. Despite the brutality of the violence shown, the sights are a marvel to look at. Its two hour and 17-minute runtime had my attention completely hooked from beginning to end. By the time the credits rolled, it felt like no time had passed at all.
A major theme throughout the film is the destructive path of toxic masculinity. The story shines a light on how a poisonous mixture of unbridled stoicism and bloodlust ultimately leads to more pain and destruction for everyone on the periphery. Violence leads to more violence. Blindly honoring authority and familial duty without critical reflection breaks the internal self when it matters most. This film will very likely attract a broad male audience, and as I watched this movie, I got the sense that everyone involved in the making of it was aware of this. The end result is a powerful critique that uses an ancient story to thoughtfully guide a modern audience.
Perhaps my favorite element of Eggers’ direction in this film is the use of minimal-cut takes, especially during the action sequences. Instead of cutting between multiple perspectives during these moments, the camera primarily follows Amleth’s point-of-view. This technique really allows the viewer to feel completely immersed in not just the story being told, but the world in which it’s taking place. I watched this movie on my laptop in my living room and even on a small screen, it was easy to feel like a spectator within the film itself. The scene that ultimately stands out in my mind is an incredible climactic battle sequence which would be a travesty to describe here, for risk of spoilers.
I would absolutely recommend The Northman to anyone who is a fan of Eggers, Vikings, or film in general. Of course, it would also be irresponsible of me to also not give a slight content/trigger warning. This is a very violent film. The fights are shot realistically, with a good deal of blood and intensity. While not shown on camera, there is also a mention of sexual assault. While the fights are spaced very well in between, the intensity of the film makes the moments of brutality particularly wince-inducing. This is the type of film that does require a certain commitment from the viewer and is absolutely not meant to be a casual viewing experience. However, for those who love a well-told story with magnetic performances and brilliant cinematography, The Northman more than pays off.
Kellyn Kavanagh (they/he) is a local writer, photographer, and musician. They first started writing what they now know to be flash fiction stories in the third grade when they learned how to make little books with a couple sheets of printer paper and a stapler. Their work typically focuses on non-ficiton journalism, short horror fiction, and very depressing poetry.