Perfect weekend viewing.
Here at JOE, we’re always trying to direct you towards hidden gems, and in this case this is one of those movies that very few people watched in the cinema, as the £1 million production made just £2.2 million at the box office.
This is despite the fact that the movie won several huge awards at film festivals all around the world, including Best First Feature at our own Galway Film Fleadh, and critics losing their minds for it, with a score of 99% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Plot-wise, God’s Own Country has more than a few similarities to Brokeback Mountain, as it tells the story of Johnny (Josh O’Connor), a young man who is forced to take care of an entire farm when his father suffers from a stroke.
Unable to handle the responsibility alone, a migrant worker named Gheroghe (Alec Secareanu) is hired to give a hand, and what begins as outward antagonistic relationship soon develops into something unexpected for both of the men.
The movie is available to watch on Netflix right now, and you can check out the trailer just below this set of outstanding reviews:
“There will be many people who see themselves in the furtive glances and mud-covered kisses from which God’s Own Country weaves its harsh but hopeful narrative, and they will do so while witnessing a finely crafted piece of cinema.” – Indiewire
“This debut feature from Yorkshire-born actor and first-time director Francis Lee is tough, sensual, unsentimental, with excellent lead performances from Josh O’Connor and Alec Secareanu.” – The Guardian
“Skipping some of the more predictable narrative obstacles we’ve come to expect from the coming-out drama, this sexy, thoughtful, hopeful film instead advances a pro-immigration subtext that couldn’t be more timely amid the closing borders of Brexit-era Britain.” – Variety
“A dig into the nature of humanity from a director already fluent in the language of brutality and tenderness. A stunning love story that in its finest moments is pure poetry.” – Empire
“An empathetic depiction of two marginalised ways of life; God’s Own Country is a deeply felt romance that harnesses the primal relationship between people and place.” – CineVue
Clip via Movieclips Film Festivals & Indie Films
