Courtesy of Albino Fawn Productions
Freydis and Gudrid is an experience unlike any other. This unprecedented passion project from Jeffrey Leiser sees him wearing a multitude of hats, as he reinvigorates the spirit of Scandanavian folktales through his cinematic hybrid. Merging cutting edge green screen technology with evocative exterior shots, audiences are transported back to an era when stories were told around a fireside hearth. Legends which came to be known as the Vinland Saga were forged by ancient ancestors who shaped their recollections into epic tales of heroism.
Written, directed, produced, and edited by Leiser, Freydis and Gudrid is an operatic immersion of the senses, headlined by Micaela Oste (Gudrid) and Kirsten Chambers (Freydis). These pivotal performances pack a powerful punch throughout this cinematic odyssey, leaving an indelible impression on the audience as this operatic saga unfolds. Shot primarily in black and white, this arthouse escapade into the annals of Scandanavian history steps into the arena of abstract storytelling by applying a theatrical structure.
Courtesy of Albino Fawn Productions
By incorporating the green screen technology, Leiser has essentially melded two mediums and created something captivating. Cutting between static set-ups and sweeping vistas of isolated shoreline, another character is created from the added element, giving Freydis and Gudrid a broader narrative canvas. The scope is no longer confined to a simple soundstage, where actors have come together to bring the Vinland Saga to life, but it has evolved into an exploration of human endeavour. Suddenly, this tale of internal struggle, familial upheaval and bloody betrayal embraces universal themes.
However, there might be some who are unable to look past the operatic interpretation and miss the point. These stories are centuries old and have endured because of their ability to hit a human chord. For all the barrel-chested bravado of this committed ensemble telling their tale, Freydis and Gudrid is still about the need for connection, whether that is through conflict, tyranny, adultery or murder most horrid.
Courtesy of Albino Fawn Productions
What writer, director, editor and composer Jeffrey Leiser has done here amounts to something inspired. This arthouse endeavour is bold, brazen and almost impossible to distil down on paper. For some audiences certain elements might be considered rudimentary in conventional terms, but in all honesty, Freydis and Gudrid has no need of unnecessary whistles and bells. A single exterior shot of lush meadows against the crisp blue sky of a Nordic horizon is enough to convey emotion.
Audiences expecting a polished piece of contemporary drama going into Freydis and Gudrid will be disappointed. There is very little at first glance audiences will find easy to interpret, let alone digest in the traditional sense. However, anyone who is prepared to go the distance will find themselves appreciating Leiser’s latest offering for all its simplicity. With full-throated performances from an enthusiastic ensemble cast, Freydis and Gudrid carves its own creative furrow. Melding the theatricality of a full blown opera with cinematography from Samuel Krueger, that brings this fireside fable to life, Jeffrey Leiser’s passion project is sure to promote debate and kick start conversations into the night.
Courtesy of Albino Fawn Productions
Freydis and Gudrid is available on Prime Video from 7 July.