The Green Knight is at its best when it’s at its weirdest. A24, with its reputation for visual sumptuousness and bold, unsettling storytelling, seems a perfect fit for an adaptation of the 14th-century chivalric romance Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, an Arthurian tale of magic, violence, and honor whose strangeness continues to fascinate modern readers. The film excels when it leans into this fascinating strangeness, showing us fantastical, horrific sights and teasing us with chronological fake-outs in its plot. Those looking for a film that does full justice to the original tale, however, may be disappointed by The Green Knight’s lapse into a familiar story of a womanizing ne’er-do-well taught the true value of honor through his trials.
In transforming this unique and otherworldly story into a familiar one, The Green Knight also gives short shrift to the homoeroticism of the original tale, which focuses on Gawain’s participation in a titillating game of exchange with the lord of a castle. At the end of each day, Gawain and the lord must give each other what they’ve “gained.” While the lord is out hunting, Gawain conflictingly dodges the advances of the lady of the castle and is thus obliged to give the lord all the kisses the lady has given Gawain. The Green Knight allows for a single, obscured kiss on the cheek between Gawain and the lord, disappointingly rendering this 2021 adaptation more heteronormative than its medieval inspiration.
Dir. David Lowery, R, 130 min. Now playing at AMC Theatres, Landmark’s Century Centre Cinema, Music Box Theatre, Regal Theatres, ShowPlace Icon Theatre
