Synopsis
The Northman follows a Nordic prince named Amleth (Alexander Skarsgård) who seeks to avenge his father’s death, King Aurvandill (Ethan Hawke). His father’s killer is his uncle named Fjölnir (Claes Bang). Fjölnir took his brother’s life and dragged the screaming mother of Amleth away. The Northman is based on the Norse legend of Amleth. The same Norse tale that inspired William Shakespeare to write Hamlet.
Years after his father’s death we are joined back to Amleth where we see him still engulfed in his rage toward Fjölnir. Amleth becomes a slave of his uncle with his ultimate goal in mind. Along the way, he meets a woman named Olga (Anya Taylor-Joy). Their fates seemed intertwined as Olga helps him reek chaos on everyone close to Fjölnir. Amleth would repeat a mantra to himself, “I will avenge you father, I will save you mother, I will kill you Fjölnir,” but after his encounter with his mother his plans change.
His mother reveals herself to be a part of the plot to kill King Aurvandill. This puts Amleth into a place of confusion about what to do. Amleth and Olga have the opportunity to escape to Amleth’s kinsmen. However, Amleth discovers that his legacy will continue through Olga and the children she will bear. This causes him to return to Fjölnir so that his children will not be hunted. He was told that he would have to choose between being kind to his kinsman or hate for his enemies and by eliminating this threat he will have chosen both.
Now back to finish Fjölnir, Amleth kills both his mother and Fjölnir’s son. Fjölnir challenges him to a dual at the gates of hel. There, Fjölnir meets his end but so does Amleth causing him to finally rest.
Interpretation
This movie constantly speaks about destiny and how Amleth’s fate is tied to the killing of Fjölnir. Amleth has an opportunity to walk in the opposite direction of his faith but chooses not to in order to protect his new family. This poses the question of whether we can truly move away from what has been destined for us. By how the movie ended seems to tell us that we are bound to follow whatever thread is connected to us. In the movie’s case, this gives hope to the children of Amleth as they are seen wearing royal garments. It seems that our own destiny awaits us.
