God’s Own Country
“God’s Own Country,” a stirring romance between an emotionally stifled sheep farmer and an irrepressible Romanian migrant worker, isn’t shy about paying homage to the classic “Brokeback Mountain,” but in many ways, this British film turns out better.
That’s because director Francis Lee crafts a love story that is unabashedly raw, sexy and heartfelt. This is not a movie about coming out and the collateral damage that ensues. It’s a universal tale about giving yourself over to love, even when you seem hopelessly broken.
Johnny ( Josh O’Connor, stellar) lives on a ranch in northern England with his ailing father, Martin (Ian Hart), and taciturn grandmother Deidre (Gemma Jones, very good). Johnny’s future prospects appear as dim as his communication and farming skills, and when he’s not having furtive sexual trysts with strangers, he’s getting drunk at the local pub.
An increasingly frustrated Martin hires a caretaker to help out on the farm, and new arrival Gheorghe (Alec Secareanu, excellent) is everything that Johnny is not: responsible, good with the animals, and most important, unafraid of his feelings. Gheorghe makes it clear to Johnny from the outset that he will not tolerate any acting up, and the Romanian slowly but surely breaks down Johnny’s emotional walls.
“God’s Own Country” is unrelentingly authentic in its sense of place, and we can feel the damp, windy landscape of the Moors, and the harsh, gritty ways of the farm. Like Johnny, much of the screenplay is wordless, but simple gestures say everything. And when Johnny in the end must figure out a way to express his love for Gheorghe — or lose him forever — we find ourselves profoundly moved. It’s why we go to the movies.