God's Country

IN A NUTSHELL: When a college professor confronts two hunters she catches trespassing on her property, she's drawn into an escalating battle of wills with catastrophic consequences.

The dramatic film was directed by Julian Higgins. She and Shaye Ogbonna wrote the story.

Based on a short story by acclaimed author James Lee Burke, God's Country is a character-driven thriller set in the snowy wilderness of the American West. Thandiwe Newton plays Sandra Guidry, a Black professor living and working in a rural college town. She's also grieving her recently-deceased mother, for whom she'd served as the primary caretaker. On the day of the burial, Sandra discovers a mysterious red truck parked in her driveway. She soon learns it belongs to a pair of local hunters seeking to enter the forest behind her house. Sandra turns them away politely but firmly - her experience tells her these are not the sort of men to welcome freely into her world. But they won't take no for an answer, and soon Sandra finds herself drawn into an escalating battle of wills that puts her most deeply-held values to the test.

The film has already received the Founder's Prize at the Traverse City Film Festival.

THINGS I LIKED: The movie premiered at the Sundance Film Festival to enthusiastic audiences.

Thandiwe Newton gives an excellent performance. Her subtle facial expressions and body twitches are powerful and insightful.

Other cast members include Kai Lennox, Jeremy Bobb, Joris Jarsky, Jefferson White, and Tanaya Beatty.

You could definitely call this movie a slow burn. That phrase is usually used as a negative description but in the case of this movie, it's a compliment. There are some incredible shots that allow you to linger in the moment such as when you see a small drop of water fall from a shoe that has been out in the snow or when the protagonist takes in the wonder of seeing a mother deer and her fawn in the middle of her mountain property.

I love movie titles that have multiple meanings. The location of the film invites us to see some beautiful landscapes out in the winter mountains, surely "God's country". Faith in God is one of the themes of the story that lends itself to another interpretation of the title. We also see title cards that divide the scenes into six days of the battle of wills. On the seventh day, there is rest.

Beautiful cinematography by Andrew Wheeler.

The sound production was noticeably good, as well as the music.

THINGS I DIDN'T LIKE: Some viewers may be frustrated by the lack of resolution in the end. I think the director never intended to give us answers, but to provide fodder for conversations about the society we've created around us.

One of the problems with this kind of movie is that audiences might be led to believe that violence is okay and justified if someone is a jerk.

With all of the nuances provided to other characters, it seemed that the "bad guys" were super cliched and one-dimensional.

Thandiwe Newton's character seems delicate and easily frightened in the beginning, so the reveal of her backstory didn't seem believable.

TIPS FOR PARENTS: Kids will be bored waiting for something to "happen". So will some adults.

Some profanity, including F-bombs We see a bloody, dead bird Adult bullying Threatening behavior Hunters kill deer and a dog Gun use Arson

THEMES: Respect for others and their property Prejudice Racism and diversity Sexism Obsession Feeling safe Police protection Hurricane Katrina Grief "Identity politics" Revenge Fairness Taking action on injustices Broken systems Vulnerability

I came in hoping for a good story, but left shaking my head at the many lost opportunities to make it one. If you like being preached at for an hour and 43 minutes, this may be the film for you.

Besides the incessant lecturing, the movie had the pacing of a 78 played on a 45 player, the villains were all caricatures of bad people, and the protagonist was a preachy, "I know better than you about everything because" kind of a person.

The most interesting part of this movie was when I dropped a Milk Dud between my legs and spent 10 minutes groping around trying to find it.

See this movie only if you hate yourself.

College professor Sandra (Thandiwe Newton) lives alone in the middle of nowhere Montana after losing her mother. Two local hunters keep trespassing on her property. The confrontations slowly build. She's struggling with an unevolved superior at work. The acting sheriff is limited help. The actual sheriff is on leave after shooting a local.

This movie is quiet. In a way, it's too quiet. Newton is doing good quiet with simmering rage. The tree farm confrontation is good tension. So is the invitation into the trailer home. There are moments and scenes with great tension. Mostly, the movie is way too quiet and the tension slips. It needs to build the tension, but Sandra doesn't change. It's a little flat.

This movie is essentially an art house upsell of something like I Spit On Your Grave. About 30 or 40 minutes into it, when the professor meets one of the hunters in the little church and finds common ground with him (I won't spoil how) I thought the movie might turn into something redemptive for both of these characters. Nothing doing. Instead of such a turn, it devolves into stereotype and cliché, and exactly the end you could predict. You want Trump Country "deplorables" you got them. You want a clueless "woke" interloper, you got that. Yet in the end, all the issues are resolved with a shotgun, hardly any sort of politically correct finish. If the point of this movie is just an ironic play on the idea that God is nowhere to be found in that place, or in any of these people, the point is pretty overtly made. That doesn't mean it's bad or unwatchable. It's neither, but it's not gory enough to be a successful exploitation film, nor creative enough to be a true art film. It's nicely filmed and definitely conveys the damnation of its people and place through its cinematography, and while none of the main antagonist characters, as written, are deep, complex or unique, they are all well portrayed by the actors. A better example of something with a similar theme might be Wind River.

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"God's Country features a remarkable lead performance from Thandiwe Newton, but the unfocused, predictable screenplay makes this film too dull to remember. Technically, it's one of the strongest movies of the festival. Gorgeous cinematography, sweet score, gripping atmosphere -- it holds the essential technical ingredients for a great film.

However, by attempting to tackle many different subject matters, Julian Higgins isn't able to properly concentrate and exceptionally develop a single one. In addition to this, the protagonist carries relatable motivations, but her consequent actions feel contradictory. The racism and sexism that she has to deal with are real, but her way of confronting these situations is far from exemplary.

Finally, the impactful ending beautifully works in theory, but since everything plot-wise is so unsurprising and slow-paced, the viewers will probably feel too tired to care by the end."

Rating: C.