Seule la terre

One wouldn't think that Ang Lee's seminal "Brokeback Mountain" would be ripe for a remake already, but damned if first time feature director Francis Lee hasn't moved the action from the American West to the hills of Yorkshire, England and come up with a comparable film. Recently screened at the 60th Annual San Francisco International Film Festival, "God's Own Country" is the tale of young sheep farmer Johnny Saxby (Josh O'Connor) struggling to keep his family farm going while avoiding coming to terms with his sexuality. Salvation (in many ways) arrives in the form of a Romanian emigrant worker, played by Alec Secareanu.

The film is awaiting a commercial release so a full review isn't possible but let me say that the film is terrifically acted, beautifully shot, occasionally erotic and gut-punchingly emotional. It doesn't skirt away from the realities of the harshness of either farm life or the challenges of living as a gay man in a rural community. Thick accents make the film difficult to understand at times, but a scene between Johnny and his father (Ian Hart) that culminates in two crystal-clear words will make you shudder.

There are some striking similarities to the Lee adaptation of the Annie Proulx story (shirt smelling, again?), but it stands on its own and is, in some ways, an improvement. The ending, in particular, is significantly more uplifting. It also has something to say about the value of immigrants that could stand to be heard in this country.

This is one to look for in a few months at your local independent or art house theater.

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It has been twelve years since the milestone Brokeback Mountain (2005) demanded that cinema be more honest in depicting the realities of same-sex love. Much has changed since then but most tropes of romance are still linked to heterosexuality. Whatever Brokeback achieved in the Wyoming mountains, God's Own Country (2017) takes to another level in the Pennine Hills of Northern England. It is a measure of social progress that cinema has moved beyond just portraits of 'forbidden love' to a space where it can openly explore rather than confront gay love.

Life on a sheep farm is tough and lonely for Johnny (Josh O'Connor). Since his father's stroke, he runs the farm by himself but all he gets is scowling disapproval from his ageing parents. He vents his anger and frustration in drunken binges and rough furtive sex with other gay men in a village wary of anyone who is different. A handsome Romanian seasonal worker Gheorghe (Alec Secareanu) is hired to help during the lambing season and Johnny's rural racism erupts in verbal taunts. Called a gypsy once too often, Gheorghe confronts him with intense physicality and the relationship changes instantly. While tending the sheep, they spend a few nights in an isolated shelter and their first sexual encounter terrifies and confuses Johnny who has never known tenderness and emotional acceptance. Gheorghe's sensitivity compels Johnny to confront his inner fears and discover his emotional self.

This is a complex film on several levels. The story barely moves forward in this cold, lonely, inhospitable place, with the narrative energy coming entirely from its earthy filming style and intense, authentic characterisation. The camera accentuates the slow pace of life by lingering on empty spaces, small details, and nature's ways. A close-up of a butterfly, misty morning light, the birth of a lamb, panoramas of harsh beauty in frosty air, all take on meanings beyond what we see. The depth and nuance of acting by O'Connor and Secareanu is the film's powerhouse. The silences are long and dialogue sparse, and much is communicated through action. Initially there is little to like about Johnny: we cannot get close to someone who is so distant from himself. Gheorghe is the opposite: intuitive, warm, and empathetic. The chemistry between them progresses from turbulence to deep acceptance and each step of the journey is raw and exposed. Intimacy between males is still a frontier in cinema and this film breaks through.

Like Brokeback, this is a genre-defying, coming of age, drama-rich love story. Today's audiences expect realism in human relationship stories and this film offers a full-frontal exploration of masculine sexuality and emotional self-discovery. This is a love story of universal relevance that transcends the usual clichés of romance. It is brave cinema with cutting-edge honesty.

For a Romanian viewer, the presence of Alec Secareanu in a film, who has in its basic themes homosexuality, it is a challenge. for a large public, it is a version of "Brockeback Mountain". for many, its cold beauty, the delicate force of story are the basic virtues. in fact, it is a beautiful film. too complex and too good for be reduced at a precise verdict. a film about solitude, friendship and love. a film about the need to be near the other. seductive for the care for details and realism. a question to public about small, fundamental truth. well acted. and source of a very personal emotion. so, one of films who must see it.

This review does NOT contain spoilers.

How do you review a film that leaves you speechless? I'll try my best for this magnificent film recently shown at the Sydney Film Festival to two sellout screenings.

Rarely does a film do such an amazing job at saying so much with so little script. There were probably only 100 lines of dialog but the film conveyed feelings that would be hard to convey in a 500 page book. The cinematography easily filled the gap as the actors executed their craft to perfection. The movie pulled me in and I was totally mesmerized by the story. It was so genuine that you felt as if you were there with them.

Johnny Saxby (played by Josh O'Connor) is stuck in a life of isolation and debilitating loneliness on a Yorkshire sheep farm. His father Martin (Ian Hart) is sick and no longer able to contribute any meaningful labor to help on the farm. The grandmother (Gemma Jones) does everything she can to care for her ailing son Martin while trying to keep her grandson Johnny from going completely off the rails. When lambing season starts Johnny is incapable of handling the workload on his own. To fill the gap the family hire a short term farmhand (Alex Secareanu) to assist Johnny with the work. A visceral "tug of war" starts immediately between the two men in every area of their lives: physical, emotional, psychological, and sexual. It is indescribable and can only be experienced by watching the film. I've never seen it done so well. It is amazing to see a production unfold where the screenplay, cinematography, acting, and landscape conspire so perfectly to tell a story. This is a movie for any adult - regardless of personal attributes or orientation - and captures what it means to be human.

This film is storytelling unbridled. Hiding nothing, the audience was treated with intellectual respect, and there was not a pandering moment to be seen. Regardless of who or what you are, this film will stir up emotions you had forgotten you even had. I highly recommend this rare and special film.

Everyone in the reviews is like "Brokeback Mountain this" and "Brokeback Mountain that" reducing both films to the absolutely superficial account "just a gay love story involving sheep herding". This is such a completely different tone, scope, setting, storytelling, type of character portrayal - in fact a completely different cinematic tradition from Brokeback Mountain, that it makes me wonder if people assuming an influence/considering the comparison obvious even saw the film.

There's five main characters in the film: Johny the frustrated teen/young adult who reluctantly takes over his dad's farm while he's recovering from a stroke, the dad - a typical hardworking man of few words who, we learn, raised his son alone, the gran who is caring but no-nonsense/unsentimental, the newcomer Gheorghe, a young Romanian farmer with lots of experience and genuine interest for the farm, and then there's the farm itself. The farm has needs, moods, emergencies, and ultimately drives the plot.

It's not a story about the discovery of sexuality, it's a story about the discovery of love and camaraderie, as well as a story of acceptance. Johny's journey towards settling into a life as a farmer is more or less that of the five stages of grief: denial (assisted by heavy pass-out drinking), anger, bargaining, and depression. In this journey Gheorghe becomes his guiding light.

It's beautifully shot, nicely paced, and naturalistically acted. I can hardly find a fault in the artistic result. As for its emotional impact, I can say for sure that I was moved, not only by the love story, nor just by the understated yet powerful portrayal of family bonds, but also by the portrayal of farm life, which (having grown up in a similar setting myself, albeit far far away from the hills of Northern England) made me think how people can be united by common experiences a lot more than by language, ethnicity etc.