The Northman is a fantasy historical drama film directed by filmmaker Robert Eggers. Egger’s name rose to fame after producing a unique supernatural horror film, The Witch (2015). The mystical and witch side is still inseparable from his latest movie. This film stars several big names, such as Nicole Kidman, Ethan Hawke, Alexander Skarsgard, Anya Taylor-Joy, Claes Bang, to Willem Dafoe. This 137-minute film has a budget of USD 70-90 million—a big gamble for a fantasy film with this aesthetic approach. We’ll see.
Amleth (Skarsgård) was the son of the king of Aurvandil War Raven (Hawke) in the Scandinavian region in 895 AD. When his father’s throne was forcibly usurped by his younger brother, Fjölnir (Bang), little Amleth fled from the island with all his anger and revenge. A few years passed, and the Vikings raised Amleth to become a formidable fighter. His tribe is attacking a small village with disproportionate force and brutally massacring its residents. After the battle, he meets a witch who reminds his destiny to avenge his father.
From the very beginning, the strength of this film was seen in the setting and cinematography. The Scandinavian royal set with a village is presented naturally with fantastic lighting and fog elements. This is not far from the achievements of Egger’s previous film, The Witch. The cinematography with solid compositions and dynamic movements further adds to the eerie mood that supports the setting. Often, the long take technique is used with complex camera movements, for example, in scenes of boats on the river and scenes of attacks in villages that follow Amleth’s figure. These two aspects (settings and camera) are indeed presented above average. Remarkable. However, it might be even better if it is produced using the original language (not English).
This film looks like a typical revenge action from the narrative, but its poetic and absurd approach obscures its meaning. One big twist in the middle of the story (the mother) makes the story more interesting, but Olga, played by Anya Taylor-Joy, seems like a tug-of-war. There is a dualism of attitude that is difficult to explain. Revenge or love? With all the story’s execution, this is not commensurate with building a solid story foundation.
There is no doubt that the filmmaker’s distinctive touch in the mise_en_scene and cinematography aspects are very stunning, but from the story side of The Northman, it feels a little loose with a vague message. What exactly does the film want from the script? The way of life of the Vikings is the brave attitude of a knight in destroying enemies with Valhalla (heaven) as their goal. Really? But in the process, they brutally slaughter innocent humans (including women and children). It’s not a matter of right or wrong and the moral consequences here. If this is what they want, why do you have to show a sadistic scene? What does the protagonist want to defend? Love or revenge?
