I suspect the biggest test of faith is adversity.
In our next movie, Godland, Lucas, a Danish minister, brings the adversity on himself by, rather than taking a ship direct to his first posting in Iceland, opting for an arduous overland route.
His crusty Icelandic guide, Ragnar, and horseback entourage think Lucas crazy, an arrogant “Danish devil” ill-suited for the perilous journey. Intent on capturing images of people and landscapes with his cumbersome camera equipment, Lucas is reckless and ignores Ragnar’s instincts for survival, which makes him increasingly unwelcome. The unforgiving hardships wear on Lucas and the purpose that seemed so clear to him at the start begins to blur. Near death, he arrives at the village on a stretcher.
Lucas convalesces at the home of the church’s Danish patron, Carl, who finds the recuperated Lucas curious and then a nuisance when Lucas starts spending time with Carl’s daughter, Anna. Lucas is kind and gentle with Anna, but to other villagers, he doesn’t exude great faith or passion for serving his fellow human beings and is seen as an interloper. Feeling out of place and wrapped up in his own spiritual doubt, Lucas is more committed to his photography than to his mission.
Godland explores the tension between colonizers and locals, and the inevitable conflict. Many of the human struggles are internal and the lengthy film might feel slow, but it’s packed with powerful images that explore the connections between humans and culture amid the haunting beauty of Iceland.
Subtitled, it plays at 5 p.m. on Saturday, March 25.
Read more: Drinkwater: ‘A wonderfully likeable coming-of-age comedy filmed entirely in Penticton’
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