A warning, this episode contains mention of sexual assault.

In the Northman, Alexander Skarsgard plays a Viking prince who flees his island kingdom when his

uncle kills his father and marries his mother. Sound familiar? It should. It's based on a

very old story, one that predates Shakespeare's Hamlet by a few centuries. Directed by Robert Eggars,

the Northman sets out to present this tale of bloody revenge with painstakingly research

historical accuracy while at the same time fully incorporating mythology. Gods and monsters

of Viking culture. I'm Glenn Weldon and today we're talking about the Northman on pop culture

happy hour from NPR. Joining me today is Kristen Meinser. She is the co-host of the podcast

movie therapy with Rayfer and Kristen. She's also the co-author of How to Be Fine. Welcome back,

Kristen. Nice to be back. Always nice to have you. Also with this is writer Chris Klymmet,

K. Chris. Hey, Glenn. I think if you looked at your script, you were supposed to introduce me

Per the Northman as still a beast cloaked in man flesh. There we go. See, you did a bit as you were

introduced. Thank you for doing that. The Northman of the title is Prince Amleth played as an adult

by Alexander Skarsgard. His parents are played by Ethan Hawke and Nicole Kidman. As a child,

Amleth flees his fictional island kingdom when his uncle Phil Neur kills his father the king and

seizes his mother the queen. Phil Neur is played by Clay Spang. Amleth vows to return to wreak his

bloody vengeance but joins up with a band of berserkers, as you do, who proceed to kill and

enslave people just a whole lot. When a mystical seer played somehow inevitably by Bjork,

appears to him to remind him of his vow. He sits out to his vangies father, save his mother,

and kill Phil Neur with the help of the wise and cunning Olga, who is played by Anja Taylor

Joy. Together they set his plan in motion amid starkly beautiful landscapes, starkly brutal violence,

a whole lot of ravens, and a magic sword. The Northman is Robert Eger's third film after the

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