Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		4.0

Godland Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov January 6, 2024

Hlynur Palmason's "Godland" (2022) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Janus Films/Criterion. The supplemental features on the release include exclusive new program with the director and original trailer for the film. In Icelandic and Danish, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

Have you ever wondered what Iceland may look like? If your answer is yes, then Hlynur Palmason’s film Godland should be on your radar. Even though Godland is a period film and will take you back to a different time, it will provide you with a very accurate visual summation of contemporary Iceland. How is this possible? For as long as Iceland has existed, Mother Nature has been its ultimate ruler and ensured that it does not change.

Godland begins sometime during the 19th century when a young Danish priest named Lucas (Elliot Crosset Hove) is asked to go to a remote area of Iceland to organize the erection of a small church and take photographs of the settlers living there. Because Lucas has never visited Iceland before, he is also asked to team up with Ragnar (Ingvar Sigurdsson), an Icelandic man from the area he needs to reach, who can guide him through the roadless terrain. Then, before the journey begins, Lucas is warned that his ability to persevere as well as his faith in God will be tested by Mother Nature in numerous ways.

As soon as Lucas gets off the ship that has taken him to the Icelandic coastline, Mother Nature begins revealing her beauty and strength. At first, the grand panoramic visuals take his breath away, but when his assistant drowns it suddenly dawns on him that he has entered a place where death is always just a few steps behind him. As if to reinforce the validity of his discovery, Mother Nature then abruptly awakens a nearby volcano.

Despite having a difficult time communicating -- Lucas is fluent only in Danish, while Ragnar is fluent only in Icelandic -- the travelers successfully reach their destination, a small village nestled in the rugged Icelandic mountains. Carl (Jacob Lohmann), an overly protective rancher, welcomes Lucas into his home but promptly makes him realize that he is keeping an eye on him to be sure that he does not engage his curious daughters. However, as the construction of the church is initiated, the older of the two girls gradually becomes attracted to Lucas.

Even though Palmason’s camera spends plenty of time following Lucas as he begins taking pictures and adjusts to life in the area, he is not the main character in Godland. Also, all developments that are chronicled in Godland are part of a story that is essentially irrelevant. Indeed, in Godland the main character is Mother Nature and the main story is about her relationship with the men and women who have chosen to call Iceland home. Palmason’s real-life connection to Iceland, which is his home country, is part of this story as well.

As you can probably guess now despite producing seemingly endless panoramic visuals Godland is an unusually introverted project, something of an intimate cinematic portrait of a place that is rarely seen on film. Naturally, to a non-Icelandic viewer, Godland could be quite educational, though it must be underscored that its dissection of the meaning of human existence is, for obvious reasons, quite familiar. (What are some of these obvious reasons? One is man’s inevitable realization that death is unavoidable. Another is that the progression of life is unpredictable).

Unfortunately, there is another aspect of Godland, a very interesting one, that will almost certainly remain elusive to most non-Icelandic viewers. Godland humbly urges a reexamination of the definition of Icelandic identity, which is very, very closely intertwined with Danish identity. It appears, at least to me, that Godland promotes the idea that the historic developments that have shaped the two – most notably Iceland moving away from Denmark and officially gaining its independence in 1944 -- have not altered the bond Icelanders and Danes have had with Mother Nature. On the contrary, they have made it easier to recognize that this bond unites people who despite claiming different national identities share the same history and philosophy of life.

Last year, Godland was selected to represent Iceland in the Best International Feature Film category of the 96th Academy Awards in 2024.

Godland Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.31:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Godland arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Janus Films/Criterion.

I think that Godland looks terrific in high-definition. My only minor criticism pertains to the presence of several tiny nicks, which easily could have been removed -- unless they are supposed to be there to strengthen the unique stylization of the visuals. I do not think that my speculation is correct, but given how the film is framed, I would not be surprised if it turns out that it is. Everything else looks either very good or outstanding. Delineation, clarity, and depth, for instance, are consistently terrific. There are fantastic ranges of natural colors as well. Image stability is excellent. I thought that the fluidity of the visuals was really good too, so when I upscaled the film to 4K, a lot of the content looked like native 4K content. All in all, this release offers a fantastic presentation of Godland that makes it a treat to experience at home. My score is 4.75/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Godland Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: Icelandic DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (with portions of Danish). Optional English subtitles are provided for the main feature.

The film has a very moody but very effective soundtrack that does a lot to enhance its atmosphere. I thought that the 5.1 track produced a lot of terrific dynamic contrasts, which is not as easy as it may sound because there is no action footage that offers opportunities to impress. The dialog was always very clear, sharp, and stable. The English translation is excellent.

Godland Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Meet the Filmmakers - in this exclusive program, Hlynur Palmason discusses his working methods and the conception and production of Godland. Mr. Palmason also mentions a few of the filmmakers and films that had a tremendous impact on him while growing up. In English, not subtitled. (18 min).

• Trailer - presented here is an original U.S. trailer for Godland. In Icelandic, with English subtitles. (3 min).

• Leaflet - an illustrated leaflet featuring critic Michael Joshua Rowin's "Godland: Trespasses".

Godland Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Films like Godland are rare because they visit unique places where Mother Nature is so glorious and so powerful that it becomes impossible to tell a conventional story. The very best of these films are fully aware of this, so for a short period of time, they connect with Mother Nature and treat her as their undisputed star. Even though Godland is a period film and visits a different place where Mother Nature is fully in control, it reminded me of How I Ended This Summer, which is another visual stunner. This recent Blu-ray release from Janus Films/Criterion offers an outstanding technical presentation of Godland. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.