The Northman and The Witch

For Some reason, I got it into head that The Northman was rated PG-13.  Based on that belief, I assumed that this would be a rather tame coming-of-age tale of a young Viking boy who would be king.  I had seen the trailer, and knew that Ethan Hawke played the Young Viking's father, and that somehow Willem Dafoe and Björk were involved so I thought it'll probably be an OK movie.  Oh yeah, and there was a moment in the trailer when the young Viking caught a spear that had been thrown at a member of his party, and then he immediately threw it back, striking and killing the aggressor; I think that was the moment that solidified my desire to see the film.  Rarely are singular sequences shot so convincingly, in such a way as to convey the atmosphere of the film, traits of the character, and a thrilling sense of action, all at the same time.  I should probably be more embarrassed to admit this, but as the film grew progressively more brutal, and as the Vikings did more and more things that Vikings are known for (including an all-out, drug-induced Berserker raid), I kept on saying to myself, "that's pretty violent for a PG-13 movie".  There were three scenes in particular that pushed the boundary of a PG-13 rating in my mind, but in each case I thought about other films with similar scenes.  For example, early in the film, one of the people close to the young Viking is ambushed, in a sequence that is reminiscent of Boromir's death scene in The Fellowship of the Ring.  In some ways I believe that the emotional intensity of scene far outweighs any a graphic depictions of violence.  If I care about the characters onscreen, I will be affected more than if I'm uninterested in the characters.  Long story short, The Northman was actually an R-rated Viking movie, and I clearly am desensitized to violence since I really couldn't tell much sooner than I did.  That being said, is it even possible to make a great Viking movie that isn't R-rated?

Robert Eggers, who directed The Northman, previously directed The Witch, which is another R-rated movie, that may or a may not be about a witch.  I was going to make the argument that The Witch is primarily a psychological thriller, as opposed to The Northman which was more of an action/adventure film.  But as I started to formulate this position, I was reminded of the second act in The Northman, which takes place in the village of the young Viking's sworn enemy.  The events that unfold while in the midst of those who have enslaved him are the most revealing, because it is during this time that he must truly examine his own mind.  Similarly, The Witch isn't so much about a witch, rather it explores what it means to be accused of being a witch.  Clearly this is meant as a fable, and the moral of the story is that we can become our worst selves when we let others define who we are.  What elevated both of these films above the basic subject matter, was Eggers' adherence to the principle that a good storyteller must have a strong sense of why a certain subject is interesting,  and he is willing to explore those themes, regardless of where they descend.