“God’s Own Country” is being compared to “Brokeback Mountain” but is a much better picture, especially regarding the two men in the center of the love story.

Johnny (Josh O’Connor) is a twenty somethingman who is running the farm his father Martin (Ian Hart), who has had a stroke, owns. The latter is a bitter man who seemingly has nothing but disdain for his son. Johnny’s grandmother Deirdre (Gemma Jones) is a cold woman who shows every bit of her hard life in her face.

Johnny feels overwhelmed with all the work he has to do and gets drunk every night occasionally having indiscriminate, unfeeling sex with other young men. His father, against Johnny’s wishes, hires a temporary worker to help on the farm during the lambing season and, at first resents Gheorghe (Alec Secareanu). Gheorghe is a Romanian immigrant who lost everything and resents Johnny calling him a gypsy.

We watch Johnny and Gheorghe slowly fall in love as they do the hard work required on the farm, starting at first more of a fight, it generally is an exploration of their bodies and an awakening of the emotions they eventually come to feel each other. There is a beautiful scene of the two men enjoying their life and domesticity when a major event takes place and that event also brings about major changes in their relationship especially Johnny’s decision to do something that puts their love at risk.

There are many tender scenes between the two men and a surprising one between the father and son later in the film. There are graphic scenes of farm life including the birthing of lambs, including the mouth to mouth resuscitation of one, the death of calves plus the real hard labor of a farmer from building walls of many varied size rocks to putting up fences among many other jobs.

The performances by Josh O’Connor and Alec Secareanu, making the romance look real and the sex scenes exciting,  are rock solid with the latter having the ‘smoldering sexy’ look that made a star of a young man in the old days of Hollywood. Both Ian Hart and Gemma Jones offering top support with the former being both stern and caring and the latter as not a particular warm women but accepting the farm life and her grandson when she figures out what is going on.

The director and screenwriter Francis Lee shows both the beauty and ugliness of the Yorkshire area in England and also of love. Lee in his feature debut is in complete control and Joshua James Richards with his photography helps the director show his love for the land.

A few asides:

1) Remember I am a city boy—the dealing with animals which may be natural to country people was a ‘hide the eyes’ moments for me!

2) While the sex scenes are graphic they are no more than shown in non-gay films.

3) Though I very seldom if ever tell when this is possible you can see the full film on youtube.

4) Though the speak English, it is England English, plus a heavy Yorkshire accent, I wish there had been sub-titles which mean when I do watch it on youtube I will use the caption option.

Movie trailer

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ki3B3C2tGBQ