god’s own Country

OUT 29 January / CERT 15 / 104 Mins.

I went in to God’s Own Country with no expectations and without knowing much about it, except it was filmed (and set) in Yorkshire, just a few miles from where I grew up. At the time (several months before release), it just seemed a better way to spend a Thursday morning than sitting in an office. But what I saw that day has stuck with me more than any other film released in 2017. Director Francis Lee’s portrait of a life-changing love story is a marvel — beautifully acted, unavoidably heart-wrenching, with such a well-crafted script, it’s hard to believe it’s Lee’s debut. It’s accidentally become part of a movement — one of the figurehead movies in the wave of mainstream gay films that hit last year — but despite being in good company, God’s Own Country is a film that is accomplished enough to stand on its own.