The Green Knight Is A24's Most Enigmatic Movie, And It's Currently On Netflix

You know, when it comes to the most enigmatic A24 picture, you have a few to pick from.

Of course you have Under the Silver Lake, with its Lynchian storytelling. Then you have a film like The Lighthouse, which was brilliant for being so comically mysterious. The Lobster is another possible pick for being the most inscrutable A24 picture. But, for my money, the company's most enigmatic movie is 2021's The Green Knight.

Retelling the 14th century poem, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, the film is sometimes maddeningly enigmatic, but I wouldn't have it any other way. It's currently streaming on Netflix. So, here's why you should give it a watch if you haven't seen it already.

The Story Is Slow-Paced And Challenging…But In A Good Way

There are some A24 pictures that never let up when it comes to pacing, like Uncut Gems, which is so anxiety-inducing that it might literally make you sick to your stomach. Or, what about a film like the Academy Award-winning, Everything Everywhere All at Once, which, prior to Marty Supreme - which is another pulse-pounding movie - was the highest grossing A24 movie ever? Anybody who sees any of these flicks might think A24 is all about making fast-paced movies.

However, anybody who’s seen a lot of the films will tell you that that’s not always the case at all. In fact, some movies, like Past Lives, take their sweet time in telling their story, and no movie in the catalogue probably takes its sweet time like The Green Knight, which I’ve heard several people call “slow,” “plodding,” and even “boring.”

However, I don’t think that could be further from the truth. The story concerns King Arthur’s nephew, Sir Gawain (Dev Patel) accepting a challenge on Christmas night from a mysterious, wooden adversary known as the Green Knight. The titular character is actually summoned to the hall by Gawain’s mother, and he decrees that any knight who lays a blow upon him will receive his green axe, but that the striker must receive a blow of equal measure.

Gawain, who just wants the spoils, decapitates the Green Knight with Excalibur, but the Knight picks up his head, and tells Gawain that he has one year to get his own head lopped off. Thus begins Gawain’s journey. The story takes its time, but it challenges you to decide what you would do in a similar situation, given the circumstance.

Dev Patel Gives Possibly His Strongest Performance As Sir Gawain

I’ve been following Patel’s career ever since I first saw him in the excellent Slumdog Millionaire…and then the far less impressive, The Last Airbender, and I have to tell you. It’s been a real treat watching his acting prowess blossom. For example, to see him go from a comedy/drama like The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, and then to an action thriller like Monkey Man (which he also directed!) years later has almost given me whiplash.

Well, in between that period, he did The Green Knight, and it’s by far my favorite performance of his. In the story, Gawain is both hardheaded, but also cowardly. He’s manly, but also callow. In other words, he is multifaceted. We first meet his character in a brothel (manly) getting chastised by his mother (not manly). When he faces off against the Green Knight, he shows great courage, but when he has to actually follow through on his promise to get his own head lopped off, he wavers.

And, I don’t know if this would really work if Patel didn’t show both sides to this character. He is, in a way, like many young men who want to be something great, but are then too scared to see it through. When he goes on his quest to meet the Green Knight a year later, he is constantly on the fence about whether he should even have to do this, since it’s quite frankly insane to go off on a suicide mission.

Patel perfectly plays this duality of man, and I think it’s the finest performance I’ve ever seen from him. It’s just that good!

The Cinematography Is Jaw-Dropping At Times

One thing that all of the people who told me this movie was “boring” also told me was that at least it was nice to look at, and it is! In fact, sometimes, it’s jaw-droppingly nice to look at, as the cinematography here, by Andrew Droz Pelermo, really sets you in a time and place.

This makes sense, because the cinematographer worked with the director, David Lowry, before, for the movie A Ghost Story, which also makes you feel like you’re in a certain time and place. However, the beautiful thing about The Green Knight (and I guess A Ghost Story as well), is that the story feels big and ambitious in scope, but also small.

In A Ghost Story, the tale mostly takes place in a house, but also bounces back far into the past, and in The Green Knight, we get the smaller scale of King Arthur’s Round Table, but also the countryside, where we see things like talking foxes and giants.

All the while, it’s visually arresting. You can tell the landscapes go off into the far-off distance, but everything still feels close and personal. It makes this world feel vast, but also claustrophobic at times, which is no small feat.

And That Ending!

I’m not going to spoil the ending for you here since I really do want you to watch the movie, but much like the enigmatic quality of the film itself, the conclusion is also quite perplexing. How perplexing, you ask? Well, so much so, that we even wrote a whole article about The Green Knight ending analyzing what it might mean.

Now, here’s what I advise you to do. I advise that you watch the movie, mull over what you think the ending MIGHT mean, then see if there are any other people who have seen the film. If they have, invite them over for dinner, and discuss the ending. After you’ve done all that, THEN read what we think the ending MIGHT mean, because it’s certainly up for interpretation.

Now, some people may HATE the ending, because it isn’t clear cut, nor (do I think, at least) is it meant to be. You have to remember, this story is based on a 14th century poem. So, while the movie uses the basic premise of the poem as a template, it goes off on its own path and forms its own identity. In that way, the film works as a companion piece if you’re familiar with the story, but also works on its own if you aren’t.

I’ve heard people say that it has a happy ending, and I’ve heard people say that it has a sad ending. Why don’t you check it out and decide for yourself?

In The End, It Makes You Remember Why You Love A24 Movies In The First Place

I’m a film nerd, so what that essentially means is that I love A24 movies. While I haven’t seen all hundred or so films from the company, I’ve seen most of the major ones, and The Green Knight is a reminder as to why it’s such a prestigious and beloved independent film company in the first place.

The Green Knight is complex, uncompromising, and unlike a vast majority of the films you’ll find from the major studios.

It tackles an ancient tale, and makes it modern. And, while there are fantastical elements, it still manages to feel grounded.

So, if you have a Netflix subscription, give it a watch!