Godland

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2:07

Godland

2023

2h 23m

Drama

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Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

91%

Tomatometer

75 Reviews

74%

Popcornmeter

100+ Ratings

In the late 19th century, a young Danish priest travels to a remote part of Iceland to build a church and photograph its people. But the deeper he goes into the unforgiving landscape, the more he strays from his purpose, the mission and morality.

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Critics Consensus

Necessarily bleak but shot through with moments of humor, the beautifully filmed Godland serves as a gently absorbing meditation on mortality.

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Paul Byrnes

Sydney Morning Herald

Aug 17, 2023

4.5/5

Like all the best movies, we can’t tell where this is going. When it arrives, the finale is worthy of all that has come before. Nobody makes movies like this any more -- except that some do.

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Whelan Barzey

Time Out

Jul 25, 2023

3/5

You’d be hard pressed to find a more immersive Winter Wonderland experience than Godland.

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Ty Burr

Ty Burr's Watch List (Substack)

Jun 23, 2023

3.5/4

It's an unforgettable movie yet one whose meanings seem to lie just beyond reach, and it marks the arrival of a new filmmaker whose roots tap into something unfathomably old.

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Yasser Medina

Cinefilia

Mar 31, 2026

6/10

Despite certain aesthetic virtues found in its Nordic naturalistic atmospheres, its narrative is somewhat flexible and traverses common ground that weakens its discursive synthesis on the contradictions of faith. [Full review in Spanish]

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Leandro Ariel Porcelli

Cinéfilo Serial

Aug 19, 2025

10/10

One of the most poignant films about the human spirit and it's struggles released in the last couple of years. An experience that trascends faith through pain and beauty to focus on humanity's search both for meaning and oblivion. [Full review in Spanish]

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Alejandro Lingenti

La Nación (Argentina)

Aug 14, 2025

3/5

...Godland is a project marked by the challenge of filming in a hostile environment. Hylnur Pálmason has successfully brought this difficulty to the forefront of a story where the setting plays a decisive role. [Full review in Spanish]

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Kelley P

@RT58916086 Jul 23, 2026

The more I think back to it, the more I like it. It was a strange experience of a movie - slow moving, and you weren't sure where it is was going but it added to the intrigue. I really appreciated how the conflict between the Danish and Icelandic man grew throughout the movie. Also, speaking neither language, it did seem like more communication between them was possible, they were just decidedly choosing to not understand each other.

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Jakub V

@SirJames Dec 15, 2025

I dreamt about the landscapes from this movie.

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danwhiffinmusic T

@RT64271451 Apr 18, 2025

A relaxing film that really draws you in with all of it's space and long drawn out shots. Amazing cinematography with beautiful landscapes, shot with a lovely film aesthetic. Hard to to believe this was made in 2022 and not the 80s. I really enjoyed this.

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Harry H

@RT85280295 Feb 24, 2025

The one star is simply for the cinematography. However, if you want to watch sweeping long drawn out shots of Iceland, perhaps choose a David Attenborough with the mute on. The storyline is badly pieced together, and the character profiles are illogical and not explained. Could easily have been half the time and still shown the same.

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Oleksii S

@lovecircle13 Feb 15, 2025

Unbelievable, atmospheric colors. Slow burn with multiple explosions in the end. Everything in its right place.

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Grant H

@RT95929188 Mar 31, 2024

If you like overly long, lingering shots of desolate Icelandic countryside then this is the film for you. It's bleak, joyless and could have been pared back from its 2 hour 20 minute length. Tough going.

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Hlynur Pálmason

Director

Elliott Crosset Hove

Lucas

Ingvar Eggert Sigurðsson

Ragnar

Vic Carmen Sonne

Anna

Jacob Lohmann

Carl

Ída Mekkín Hlynsdóttir

Ida

Godland: Trailer 1

2:07

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Synopsis

In the late 19th century, a young Danish priest travels to a remote part of Iceland to build a church and photograph its people. But the deeper he goes into the unforgiving landscape, the more he strays from his purpose, the mission and morality.

Director: Hlynur Pálmason
Producer: Katrin Pors, Eva Jakobsen, Mikkel Jersin, Anton Máni Svansson
Screenwriter: Hlynur Pálmason, Hlynur Pálmason
Distributor: Janus Films
Production Co: Join Motion Pictures, Snowglobe
Genre: Drama
Original Language: Danish
Release Date (Theaters): Feb 3, 2023, Limited
Box Office (Gross USA): $60.1K
Runtime: 2h 23m

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