It’s hard not to feel affected by this intense and beautiful historical drama set in late 19th century Iceland.

The advice given to young priest Lucas (Elliott Crosset Hove) as he sets off from Denmark to start a church in remote Iceland is to adapt to the local culture or he will fail. It’s clear from the outset that he has little capacity for the selflessness and humility required of his calling.

Godland is inspired by eight wet plate photographs taken by a priest and found in a wooden box in Iceland, that are the earliest images of the south-west region. Hlynur Pálmason weaves a story around their creation that feels like an homage to the people and landscape of Iceland.

For a while it feels like a concept in search of a story as Lucas relies on grizzled local Ragnar (the wonderful Ingvar Sigurdsson) and his team of horses to lug all his gear across a stunning and inhospitable terrain. Lucas has been told that a harmonious relationship with Ragnar is important – an extension of the need to accept this new land as we can see how Ragnar embodies Icelandic pragmatism – but of course Lucas can’t get past his own pride and failures as they face tragedy and hardship.

There is a point where you think the story has ended but a second half unfurls with Lucas at the home of Carl (Jacob Lohmann) and his daughters Ida (Ída Mekkin Hlynsdóttir) and Anna (Vic Carmen Sonne), building the church. Here is where get a sense of the community that exists and see Lucas’s true character play out.

Pálmason intersperses the narrative with stunning cinematography of the natural landscape, something that is particularly successful in the final act. It provides a context for what is sometimes a frustrating story – Lucas is a relentlessly unlikable protagonist.

The photos are an intermittent thread and I was disappointed that we were never shown the real images (I sat hopefully through the end credits). It felt every minute of its 2 hour 23 minute runtime and although I didn’t always feel engaged, it ultimately felt like more than the sum of its parts. It will stay with me for a long time.

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