September
07
Tags
God’s Own Country (2017)
It has been twelve years since the milestone Brokeback Mountain (2005) demanded that cinema be more honest in depicting the realities of same-sex love. Much has changed since then but most tropes of romance are still linked to heterosexuality. Whatever Brokeback achieved in the Wyoming mountains, God’s Own Country (2017) takes to another level in the Pennine Hills of Northern England. It is a measure of social progress that cinema has moved beyond just portraits of ‘forbidden love’ to a space where it can openly explore rather than confront gay love.
Life on a sheep farm is tough and lonely for Johnny (Josh O’Connor). Since his father’s stroke, he runs the farm by himself but all he gets is scowling disapproval from his ageing parents. He vents his anger and frustration in drunken binges and rough furtive sex with other gay men in a village wary of anyone who is different. A handsome Romanian seasonal worker Gheorghe (Alec Secareanu) is hired to help during the lambing season and Johnny’s rural racism erupts in verbal taunts. Called a gypsy once too often, Gheorghe confronts him with intense physicality and the relationship changes instantly. While tending the sheep, they spend a few nights in an isolated shelter and their first sexual encounter terrifies and confuses Johnny who has never known tenderness and emotional acceptance. Gheorghe’s sensitivity compels Johnny to confront his inner fears and discover his emotional self.
This is a complex film on several levels. The story barely moves forward in this cold, lonely, inhospitable place, with the narrative energy coming entirely from its earthy filming style and intense, authentic characterisation. The camera accentuates the slow pace of life by lingering on empty spaces, small details, and nature’s ways. A close-up of a butterfly, misty morning light, the birth of a lamb, panoramas of harsh beauty in frosty air, all take on meanings beyond what we see. The depth and nuance of acting by O’Connor and Secareanu is the film’s powerhouse. The silences are long and dialogue sparse, and much is communicated through action. Initially there is little to like about Johnny: we cannot get close to someone who is so distant from himself. Gheorghe is the opposite: intuitive, warm, and empathetic. The chemistry between them progresses from turbulence to deep acceptance and each step of the journey is raw and exposed. Intimacy between males is still a frontier in cinema and this film breaks through.
Like Brokeback, this is a genre-defying, coming of age, drama-rich love story. Today’s audiences expect realism in human relationship stories and this film offers a full-frontal exploration of masculine sexuality and emotional self-discovery. This is a love story of universal relevance that transcends the usual clichés of romance. It is brave cinema with cutting-edge honesty.
Director: Francis Lee
Stars: Josh O’Connor, Alec Secareanu
CineMuseFilms 
Sounds good! Boy how time flies. 12 years since Brokeback? Seems like 2 years.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yup; but lets not go there rangewriter. Who was it that sang “time keeps on slipp’n, slipp’n into the future”?
LikeLiked by 1 person
You just planted a fine ear worm, my friend! ;-}
LikeLiked by 1 person
Pingback: Favourites 2017 | CineMuseFilms
This sounds like a very well executed and passionate movie.
LikeLike
The film society screened this on Sunday. Would you believe it’s the first for this year that I could actually attend? So I was determined to go whatever the subject matter.
It was a real mix of emotion and reaction from me. Simultaneously sorry for Johhny living an isolated unrewarding life yet repelled by his character and actions. Wondering what the heck Gheorghe would even see in him. How much of the attraction was nostalgia to return to farm life and knowing he could make such a difference to the animal welfare? I was also mesmerised by the all-seeing non-judging character of the grandmother. Such a Yorkshire-woman.
I felt some of the takes were way too long. It didn’t irritate, and I accepted why the director went that way but I felt the loneliness of the place and how it developed introversion had been established early on. Just a glimpse of frosty breath conveyed that! And the intimate scenes, although in context, similarly dwelt just that little bit too long so they came across as the director being deliberately provocative and confronting.
But yes, it is brave cinema, and one of those thought provoking films that the viewer is still thinking about days later. And so refreshing to see a sense of place so realistically portrayed!
LikeLike