What would happen if a Viking skald were armed with a modern Hollywood budget and set loose to create a film? Probably something quite like
The Northman
, an epic tale of fate and feuds culminating in a volcanic eruption of vengeance. Robert Eggers, director of
The VVitch
and
The Lighthouse
, marshals his facility with moody horror to depict pagan Scandinavia, red in tooth and claw. The film is striking, but it left me hungry for something beyond what it could ever offer, given its commitment to seeing the world through Viking eyes. By embracing the values of Viking culture, the film offers a hollow moral vision that ought to leave the audience unsettled.