God's Own Country

One of the reviewers writes that God's Own Country is no Brokeback Mountain. True it's not like the latter film, but it's just fine and powerful.There is great emotions and feeling to this film, about a man discovering his capacity to love, tenderly brought to the surface by a Romanian immigrant/worker to England. The character John Saxby is a lonely gay man who has few social skills, and when it comes to loving, he's almost totally ignorant. And he has a drinking problem. God smiles on him by sending to him a a Christ-like young man, who with his beard somewhat looks like Christ, and who happens to be a superb shepherd not only of sheep but of John (cf the lord is my shepherd"). John needs/craves tenderness and love, and he finally receives both and it transforms him. The angry young man transforms into a maturer man, one capable of sensitivity and love.He's basically a good man, but the burden of assuming the responsibility of his father's sheep/cattle farm is too much for him. He finds escape from his problems and his lack of love in booze and casual sex. The family has hired a Romanian to assist him. On their first trip alone together to repair a stone wall out on the moors, they young men become intimate. There's a D.H. Lawrence-like wrestling scene where the two fight each other until they both succumb to sex (Lawrence's men don't go all the way). This is the beginning of their relationship.The story occurs in Yorkshire. One thinks of the Brontes, especially Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights. I don't think it's farfetched to call this a gay Wutheriing Heights, the biggest difference being that God's Own Country not a tragic story. The two young men come together at the end of the film, after one of the most beautiful acting scenes I've ever encountered in a film when John finds his friend and reveals his love by finally saying, "I want to be with you." Very powerful scene, and the two actors should be very proud of this scene, as well as the director.Now about the two actors. One reviewer lamented that the two lead actors aren't very good looking. I beg to differ. Josh O'Connor has what has often been called "rugged good looks." He's the perfect actor for this role because John Saxby lives on a rugged terrain, stones and rock everywhere. O'Connor's face is one of angles and grooves and cheekbones like rocky cliffs. He has a sensual mouth and large expressive eyes. He's a handsome man.The other actor, Alec Secareau, is also a good looking man. I'm wondering if the director Lee Francis hired him because his face has a Christ-like quality. He has small, sensitive features, a kind mouth and eyes. As for their naked bodies, both actors have nothing to be embarrassed about. They are strapping young men, and it's all we need to know and to see.Now their acting. Josh O'Connor is an extraordinarily gifted actor. He has stripped off all his own personal masks to play this role. To make himself so vulnerable, well, it took him a lot of courage to play this part. He reminds me of the great actor, Spencer Tracy, another actor with rugged good looks. I think O'Connor will have a great acting career, and I hope he chooses his roles wisely. I hope he doesn't make the mistakes Nicholas Hoult is making, the latter a gifted actor who's staring in awful movies. Well, let him make the money while he can, and he can later take on better films. The other actor, Alec, is also gifted. He has the gentler role so he doesn't leap off the screen the way Josh does. But he has his moments when the screen is all his. Two talented actors. The actors who play the mother and father are also talented, and they play their roles perfectly, a minimalistic style worthy of the film. As a review already noted, they convey so much by their eyes. Excellent actors, surely pros and it shows, Gemma Jones and Ian Hart. This movie is now up there with my favorite gay film Tom Ford's A Single Man.I'm not sure if the director has deliberately employed religious symbolism, but to this viewer, there seems to be much to suggest Christianity. There's the gentleness of the Romanian worker who looks like Christ. We see him save sheep, feel them, show them affection.When John hurts his hand, G.. the Romanian, takes his hand and spits on it to clean it of infection. G. teaches John to love. Later, John's wound on his hand looks like the pierced palm of Christ, which G. licks. Of course, there is the appellation given to the apostle, John the Beloved of Christ. Don't know if I'm reaching in this, but there is a meal, prepared by G. for John and himself. There is the swimming scene. the sunrise scene. And on the bus, the iconic image of John with his head on G's shoulder. A lovely image, so like holy icons of Christ and the Beloved John. Wish I could speak to the director Francis Lee about this. My gut feeling is that Lee wants us to think of both John the apostle and Christ. Such a film as this Christianizes gay love. And of course there is the title with the word "God." Yes, the director must want us to think in spiritual terms. . . .Powerful scenesThe wrestling sceneSharing of the saltSharing of a cigaretteWatching the sunset together (John's first time?)Teaching John to kiss (John's first time kissing?)The E.M. Forster-like swimming scene (baptism of love?)Teaching John the tenderness of a finger's touchJohn touching his ill father (first time?)John bathing his stroke-struck fatherThe fight between the young men after John drinks too much and is unfaithful, and Geo. leavingJohn lonely for G, and his mother giving G's address to him, written on a piece of paper, she knows her sonJohn finding G, the MOST POWERFUL SCENE, and his revelation of loveThe driving home together on the bus together, John sleeping on G's shoulderTaking away of the mobile vanThe young men entering the house together, for life?

This is an incredibly made movie for any who like a nice romantic movie. Yes, it’s primarily targeted to the gay community, but it’s still a well made movie that most people will enjoy. In some ways, it’s very similar to a European version of “Brokebake Mountian.” That’s been mentioned by several other reviewers, but this movie ends on a much happier note. Not to give to much away about this movie, there are some scenes that are sexual in nature, as there should be in any type of a romantic movie. Nothing X-rated by any means. It’s a great story with a great ending which is extremely hard to find in movies in this genre!The movie takes place in the U.K. and it has a lot of beautiful scenery and extremely realistic qualities that make you feel like your watching someone’s life story, not just a movie. It’s not like most films targeted toward the gay audience where it just ends and you ask yourself or your significant other, “What just happened?” It’s not one of those movies where you either feel like the production company ran out of money or somehow you missed the whole point of the entire movie. We have purchased far too many films in this genre where you devote a couple of hours or less of time only to be left without any idea as to how the story you just watched truly ends. They Just start rolling the credits and you are wondering, “Well, what happened?” It happens so often that it’s become a running joke in our home that when a movie just ends, one of us always says, “I guess they ran out of money!” This movie is great for those who want a great romantic movie that’s made well, has substance, great acting, and has an actual ending to the movie. It’s not that typical movie with just a bunch of naked guys running around with no real plot to the movie. We’ve watched this movie several times as it’s that good, unlike many others we’ve purchased and only watched once.This movie stars the actor Josh O’Connor who also stars in the well made and very interesting PBS series “The Durrell’s in Corfu” where he plays a young writer. He shacks up with an older woman whom he spends most of his days in bed with. It’s a very good series and the books this interesting show is based on are equally as good!I’m extremely impressed with O’Connor’s ability to play diverse roles that many other actors would never consider. It shows a great range of talent and the ability to play roles without feeling like they will get typecast by a part in one movie. More actors are not afraid to play a gay role and it just proves that gay people should be seen as equals just as heterosexuals are in the world. Love is love!

When I first bought this movie I purchased it because the storyline ad sounded promising, and when I watched it and the first 20 or 30 minutes seemed to drag along with rather dark and bleak scenery (much of the going-on happening during nighttime), but enjoyable, yet not really sure where it was going; but WOW! did it turn out to be one of the best gay themed movies I have ever seen (Brokeback Mountain, Call me by my name, & others included in the best movie categories); For sure one of my ALL TIME FAVORITES; and being the romantic that I am I did well up some serious tears near the end of the movie; I can definitely see myself watching this movie over and over during the coming years. Great storyline, well written, good acting, good directing and just a plain "feel good" movie; Just shows that gay people can have true life changing romances like any other group of people, since so many gay movies seem to focus on sex, sex, sex, but here we get the hot sex and a great movie to boot; but don't get too disappointed if the movie starts out slow and does not really seem to prick your interest for the first 20 minutes or so; Once the new farm hand joins the cast the storyline really picks up. All in all a good review for all actors involved; I will look for more movies by this same director in the future.