Outside of Minari (2021), A24’s first post-pandemic year was a mixed bag. With audiences slowly returning to cinemas, there wasn’t a clear path forward for the studio. Even then, they fell back on old tricks and produced some buzzy titles that kept their recognizable brand sizzling. With that said, the first title that truly felt like the return of the indie juggernaut came around July 2021 when a familiar face returned. Having delivered one of the studio’s most acclaimed films for only $100,000, director David Lowery returned with something that not only featured critical acclaim but would become one of their most popular titles of the post-pandemic era.
The story begins somewhere around Lowery’s college years. He recalls as a Freshman reading “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.” While it could be assumed that this was a revelatory experience, the filmmaker would claim that his initial read was more likely skimmed. By the time he created The Green Knight (2021), it would be over two decades since he cared to study it. Even then, Lowery has publicly discussed his love of Medieval culture. His first script focused on Percival and his grail quest. Even the films he admired like Excalibur (1981) and Willow (1988) pointed him in the direction of eventually making something similar.
The Green Knight would emerge in a myriad of ways. There are reports that it came while he was making a Willow diorama in his backyard and found interest in Medieval literature. Another story goes that Lowery was curious to make a 90-minute film about “a man on a horse.” He believed that he’d shoot it around Texas. At most he imagined that he’d borrow ideas from “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight,” but found himself being attracted to the larger story. Suddenly it became more about adapting the text. Having bought a new copy, Lowery suggested that he wrote the script as he read the book. It eventually evolved from inspiration to the main focus. While he would alter plot details to better fit his vision, he claimed that any anachronisms would be in line with Arthurian adaptations. For example, the story and the film are set over a millennia apart.
When Lowery was last seen working with A24, he had directed A Ghost Story (2017). It was a minimalist work that reveled in abstract storytelling. Since that time, he had gone on to do studio films like Pete’s Dragon (2016) and The Old Man and the Gun (2018). Lowery considered the latter to be his most wholesome film and was disappointed when it wasn’t Rated G. Among his motivations for making The Green Knight next was his desire to make something that felt rougher. As he believes, the 600+ year old text was so vivid with detail that financiers were quick to see the greater vision. Even then, Lowery was surprised with how quickly A24 had gotten on board given its esoteric nature and considerable budget.
When casting the film, he had a conventional version of protagonist Sir Gawain in mind. Along with being Anglo-Saxon, he had written Gawain based on his worst tendencies. He was a spoiled brat who took everything for granted. However, something happened when he found Dev Patel modeling. He was regal. When they met, Lowery was taken by his eloquence and believed that he would fit the character. Given that this was a few years after his Oscar-nominated turn in Lion (2017), it was also a good chance to expand his prestige potential. Along with Alicia Vikander and Ralph Ineson, the film began to take shape. Rewrites were done as Lowery found new ways to compliment the actors and enhance their roles in the story.
The Green Knight would begin filming in 2019 throughout Ireland. Several crew members had also worked on the TV series Game of Thrones, which was airing its final season around the same period. Lowery admits that it felt strange because the average episode cost more than their whole movie. Even then,it helped to add to the period-specific detail. Given that Lowery had wanted to make films that felt reminiscent of Excalibur and Willow, he also sought to limit the use of special effects and capture something reminiscent of the era.
Among the most impressive was Ineson’s portrayal of The Green Knight. According to Ineson, it would take three hours to apply the make-up and costuming and a half hour to remove. It was considered suffocating to him, especially since he couldn’t properly eat and mostly digested food and drink through a straw. While he was capable of breathing through his nose, his ears were covered in prosthetics and eyes had contact lenses that he claimed irritated him to the point of crying. Despite all this, Ineson would look at reviews later and be proud of his work. He also used the limitation to his advantage, as he claimed that his sole sense of smell inspired his character in unexpected ways. He otherwise felt like he was submerged under water.
Another conflict with the costume was the weight. Ineson claimed that the head piece was heavier on one side. Because of this, his need to hold it up often tired him out quickly. This would lead to staff building him a dentist-like chair that allowed him to rest when he wasn’t filming. Ineson spoke kindly of everyone and believed they made his experience better. He also claimed that he wasn’t familiar with the original text and chose not to read it. He held the script as the sacred text, believing that Lowery’s voice was the most important thing to listen to. Similarly, Lowery and Patel’s interpretation of the ending were different. Lowery had intended it to be ambiguous, though he filmed a concrete ending that he nixed because he felt it would take away from the audience’s experience.
The story goes that Lowery’s final stretch of the film was a complete miracle. Despite following health precautions, he found himself prone to illness. Most days were difficult to shoot because of his delirium. While he admits that he was happy to have finished the production, it did make him feel less likely to do another Medieval film.
Elsewhere was Lowery’s long-time composer Daniel Hart. In an effort to make a score that sounded period appropriate, he studied Medieval history in order to find instruments that were relevant to the time. Along with taking notes from the score for The Witch (2015), he found himself borrowing from his days of singing in choirs. Eventually he landed on wind instruments that best captured the sound of the time. While he would be faithful for the most part, he still chose to add synths into the equation in order to make for eerier tones.
Upon the film wrapping, there were plans to release a final cut for South By Southwest in 2020 followed by a theatrical release shortly after. However, the pandemic meant that SXSW was cancelled and theaters shut down. This proved to be a blessing in disguise. Lowery calls 2020 an existential year where he was questioning his future as a filmmaker. When he realized that he had a significant presence, he chose to stay involved. The downtime also gave him time to reconsider The Green Knight in its original cut. He was dissatisfied with how the story was being told. By moving things around over the next six months, he made it longer and enhanced the themes.
From there the film’s release became contentious when people wondered if it should have a video on demand release or a proper theatrical run. Compared to many filmmakers, Lowery was understanding of potentially sacrificing the big screen. He preferred the large format but felt that it was more important for his work to be seen. Given that his following film, Peter Pan and Wendy (2023), would premiere on Disney+, he was far from a purist. Along with this, U.K. cinemas infamously pulled the film from a conventional theatrical release and decided to do a V.O.D. and theatrical release on the same day. Similarly, United States distributed the film largely in theaters before doing limited online screenings on specific dates that would cost $20 per ticket and featured Q&A’s with crew members. All things considered; the film would do well earning $18.9 million on a $15 million budget.
Overall, the film would have a successful time with critics as well. According to critics aggregate website Rotten Tomatoes, the film would earn an impressive 89% rating despite fairing less well with audiences at a middling 50%. Roxana Hadadi of Pajiba lead the praise when noting, “At its center is a performance from Patel that walks the knife's edge between folly and vigor, between wisdom and lamentation, and between predetermination and doubt.” Others who praised the film included Annie Banks of Chuck Load of Comics who suggested, “The retelling of Welsh lore marries the core draw of the fantasy genre with themes of religion, morality, and chivalry in a grand epic hoping to soothe the burns left behind by Game of Thrones.” The few who disagreed included Brian Eggert of Deep Focus Review who rebutted, “The Green Knight plays like conceptual art stretched over a narrative fade. Its themes feel grossly underserviced by a production too concerned with appearances, which is a shame given the potential of both the sights and ideas behind them.” Overall, the film’s success has made it one of A24’s most renowned works of the post-pandemic era.
While the film would fail to garner awards season contention, this was far from the end of Lowery’s time with the story. Following The Green Knight, he made a short film titled Oak Thorn & The Old Rose of Love. It starred Jackie Earl Hayley and Sylvia Hoeks. While it doesn’t feature any of the same cast members nor follows the same story, Lowery considered it to take place in the same universe. The plan was to release it theatrically before having it as a bonus feature on the special edition Blu-Ray. The goal was to never distribute it online in order to make it feel like something special.
As mentioned, Lowery’s next project would be the Disney+ film Peter Pan and Wendy. While it would feature some of his lowest ratings in his later career, it proved his versatility to jump from small to big projects depending on what interested him at the time. As of this publication, he is working on a variety of projects including the Star Wars series Skeleton Crew set for a 2024 release. His next A24 project is scheduled to be Mother Mary, co-starring Anne Hathaway and Hunter Shafer. No release dates are available.
When all is said and done, The Green Knight is one of the definitive A24 films of the post-pandemic landscape. While it wouldn’t be their most successful across the board, it reminded audiences of their potential to give collaborators creative control and produce work that could stun with visual splendor. It was also pivotal in helping to reframe Patel as a serious actor deserving of meatier roles. While the next film from the studio wouldn’t have nearly the level of recognition that The Green Knight did, it managed to take a novel premise and create one of the most surreal family dramas in their short history. Even for those who haven’t seen it, the trailers were hard to forget. It’s the best example of how their marketing and sensibilities can lead to truly one of a kind output that might not seem like it had an audience, but definitely had something with them.
Coming Up Next: Lamb (2024)
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