In our review of Hlynur Pálmason’s “Godland,” an acclaimed drama that premiered at the Cannes Film Festival last year, we described the film as a “hypnotic, spiritual, slow-cinema look at 19th century Iceland.” By all accounts, the film was a mix of the spartan, quiet explorers featured in the films of Werner Herzog, which meets the spiritual aspects of Martin Scorsese’s stark and spare religious drama, “Silence.” We dug “Godland” so much that we put it on our list of The 25 Best Films Of 2023 We’ve Already Seen, aka 2022 festival movies we already reviewed that are coming out this year.

Continue reading ‘Godland’ Trailer: Hlynur Pálmason’s Cannes Drama Evokes Herzog’s Explorations & The Spare Spiritualism Of Martin Scorsese’s ‘Silence’ at The Playlist.

Yes, we’re still here with Best-of 2022 recaps and 2023 anticipated features; we know. We’re gluttons for punishment and maybe a little bit psycho. But yes, we obviously like to look ahead and look back, and our annual The Best Films Of [Insert Year Here] We’ve Already Seen feature is the perfect opportunity to do both.

READ MORE: The 25 Best Films Of 2022

The gist? Well, we’ve already made our list of the 100 Most Anticipated Films Of 2023, which could have been much longer and will be expanded, by the very least, in our Sundance preview.

Continue reading The 25 Best Films Of 2023 We’ve Already Seen at The Playlist.

As countries go, Iceland is probably one of the most fast-changing in terms of its biological make up, its intense volcanic activities reshaping its surface and contours at a speed fast enough to be perceived within a single generation. Paradoxically, it is also a place where time appears to stand still, with the sun omnipresent for half the year and absent for the rest. Hlynur Pálmason’s “Godland” is in tune with both contrasting realities, and the film’s very long takes feel extremely rich with meaning and texture even as they often show a whole lot of nothing. 

These different temporalities are also embodied in the objective of Lucas (Elliott Crosset Hove), a Danish priest sent to Iceland to build a church there and photograph some of the people of the island.

Continue reading ‘Godland’ Review: Hlynur Pálmason’s Hypnotic, Spiritual, Slow-Cinema Look At 19th Century Iceland [Cannes] at The Playlist.

With Virginie Efra opening the festival as Master of Ceremony earlier this week, the 2022 Cannes Film Festival is underway. Many film-oriented publications, ours included, have put out their “Most Anticipated” lists for the festival, and one film many are very keen on is Hlynur Pálmason’s “Godland.” 

“Godland,” which will be played under Cannes’ Un Certain Regard section, is set in the late 19th century.

Continue reading ‘Godland’ Teaser Clip: Hlynur Pálmason’s Cannes Drama Evokes The Stark Spiritual Devotion Of Scorsese’s ‘Silence’ [Exclusive] at The Playlist.