God's Own Country (2017 film)
God's Own Country | |
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Directed by | Francis Lee |
Written by | Francis Lee |
Produced by |
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Starring |
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Cinematography | Joshua James Richards |
Edited by | Chris Wyatt |
Music by | A Winged Victory For The Sullen |
Distributed by |
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Release dates |
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Running time | 105 minutes[1] |
Country | United Kingdom |
Language | English |
Budget | £1 million[2] |
Box office | £1,061,770[3] |
God's Own Country is a 2017 British drama film written and directed by Francis Lee in his feature directorial debut. The film stars Josh O'Connor and Alec Secareanu. The plot follows a young sheep farmer in Yorkshire whose life is transformed by the arrival of a Romanian migrant worker. The film was the only UK-based production to feature in the world drama category at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival where it won the world cinema directing award.
Plot
In Yorkshire, Johnny lives on the family farm with his father, Martin and grandmother, Deirdre. Due to his father having suffered from a stroke, and his grandmother’s age, much of the day-to-day running of the farm falls to Johnny. In his social time, Johnny engages in binge drinking and furtive sexual encounters with other men. Returning late to the farm after such an encounter, he is berated by his father after a calf dies from a breech birth in his absence.
Gheorghe, a Romanian migrant worker, is hired as extra help for lambing season. He arrives and spends his first night in a caravan that the family has organized as his accommodation. As the ewes have moved away from the main part of the farm, and as part of the farm's boundary wall remains unrepaired by Johnny, it is decided that Johnny and Gheorghe should spend several days camping nearer to the animals. When one of the ewes gives birth to an unconscious runt, Johnny is intrigued when Gheorghe is able to resuscitate and care for it. One morning, after Johnny refers to Gheorghe as a "gypsy," Gheorghe tackles him to the ground and warns Johnny not to speak that way to him again.
The next day, the two men again engage in a fight that turns into rough sex. While Johnny initially does not acknowledge the encounter, the two share cigarettes and a spice packet for their cup noodles throughout the day, and that night have a tender sexual encounter.
Returning to the farm, Johnny invites Gheorghe to stay with him in the house, but Gheorghe elects to remain in the caravan. When Martin suffers a second stroke, Johnny realizes that the running of the farm is now entirely his responsibility, and asks Gheorghe if he will stay with him. When Gheorghe expresses uncertainty over whether their relationship can last in the long-term, Johnny reacts poorly, over-drinking and engaging in another random sexual encounter. When Gheorghe realises what Johnny has done, he abruptly leaves the farm.
Martin is released from the hospital, but is now fully debilitated. Johnny, desperate to make it up with Gheorghe, tells his father that he will stay to run the farm, but that things must be run on his terms. Martin gives his tacit approval to Johnny, who sets off to bring Gheorghe back to the farm. After finding Gheorghe working in Scotland, the two men reconcile. Gheorghe returns with Johnny; the caravan is taken away, and Gheorghe moves into the house.[4][5]
Cast
- Josh O'Connor as Johnny Saxby
- Alec Secareanu as Gheorghe Ionescu
- Ian Hart as Martin Saxby
- Gemma Jones as Deidre Saxby[6]
Production
The film is partly based on writer and director Francis Lee's own life, where he also had to make a decision to either stay and work on his family's farm or go off to drama school.[7]
The film was shot in Yorkshire, specifically around the [[Silsden area of Keighley in West Yorkshire,[4] with some other scenes being shot in Keighley Bus Station[8] and Airedale General Hospital with Haworth and Otley also featuring as backdrops for the film.[8]
The production was part financed through the British Film Council's iFeature programme with additional funding being secured from Creative England.[5]
Release
The film had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on 23 January 2017. It was the only production from the United Kingdom that featured in the world drama category in the 2017 Sundance Film Festival.[9][2] It went onto screen at the Berlin International Film Festival on 11 February 2017.[10][11]
Shortly after, Picturehouse Entertainment, Orion Pictures and Samuel Goldwyn Films acquired U.K. and U.S. distribution rights respectively.[12][13] It was released in the United Kingdom on 1 September 2017.[14]
Reception
God's Own Country received positive reviews from film critics. It holds a 99% approval rating on review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, based on 90 reviews, with a weighted average of 8.2/10. The site's critical consensus reads: "A quiet, moving rumination on loneliness and newfound intimacy, God's Own Country marks an outstanding directorial debut for Francis Lee." [15] On Metacritic, the film holds a rating of 86 out of 100, based on 20 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[16]
The Sundance Film Festival's listing for God's Own Country says that "you can smell the mud in this movie" while also describing Francis Lee as a major new talent and the film as "one not to be missed."[1] Peter Bradshaw, writing in The Guardian, gave the film four stars out of five. Bradshaw described the film as "an almost, but not quite a Dales Brokeback," and also as a "very British love story, bursting at the seams with unspoken emotions, unvoiced fears about the future, and a readiness to displace every emotion into hard physical work".[17]
At the 2017 Berlin International Film Festival the film received the Harvey Award, presented by the Teddy Awards programme for LGBT-related films in conjunction with a reader jury from the German LGBT magazine Männer.[18]
Ed Potton, writing in The Times, gave the film four stars out of five and described the film as "splendid" and "[a] potent film, a Yorkshire Brokeback Mountain".[19]
Accolades
Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipient(s) and nominee(s) | Result | Ref(s) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Berlin International Film Festival | February 18, 2017 | Männer Jury Award | God's Own Country | Won | [18][20] |
Teddy Award | God's Own Country | Nominated | |||
British Independent Film Awards | December 10, 2017 | Douglas Hickox Award | Francis Lee | Nominated | [21][22] |
Best British Independent Film | God's Own Country | Won | |||
Best Director | Francis Lee | Nominated | |||
Best Screenplay | Francis Lee | Nominated | |||
Best Actor | Josh O'Connor | Won | |||
Alec Secareanu | Nominated | ||||
Best Supporting Actor | Ian Hart | Nominated | |||
Best Debut Screenwriter | Francis Lee | Won | |||
Breakthrough Producer | Jack Tarling | Nominated | |||
Manon Ardisson | Nominated | ||||
Best Casting | Shaheen Baig | Nominated | |||
Layla Merrick-Wolf | Nominated | ||||
Best Sound | Anna Bertmark | Won | |||
Chicago International Film Festival | October 26, 2017 | Silver Q-Hugo | God's Own Country | Won | [23] |
Chéries-Chéris | November 21, 2017 | Grand Prize | God's Own Country | Nominated | [24] |
Dinard British Film Festival | October 1, 2017 | Golden Hitchcock | God's Own Country | Won | [25][26] |
Heartbeat Hitchcock | God's Own Country | Won | |||
Edinburgh International Film Festival | June 20, 2017 | The Michael Powell Award for Best British Feature Film | Francis Lee | Won | [27][28] |
Frameline San Francisco International LGBTQ Film Festival | June 27, 2017 | AT&T Audience Award | God's Own Country | Won | [29] |
Fünf Seen Film Festival | August 5, 2017 | Audience Award | God's Own Country | Nominated | [30] |
Galway Film Fleadh | September 5, 2017 | Best International First Feature | God's Own Country | Won | [31] |
Honolulu Rainbow Film Festival | August 19, 2017 | Best Feature | God's Own Country | Won | [32][33] |
Jameson CineFest–Miskolc International Film Festival | September 17, 2017 | Emeric Pressburger Prize | God's Own Country | Nominated | [34] |
London Film Critics' Circle | January 28, 2018 | Film of the Year | God's Own Country | Pending | [35] |
British/Irish Film of the Year | God's Own Country | Pending | |||
British/Irish Actor of the Year | Josh O'Connor | Pending | |||
Breakthrough British/Irish Filmmaker | Francis Lee | Pending | |||
Technical Achievement Award | Joshua James Richards | Pending | |||
San Francisco International Film Festival | April 19, 2017 | Golden Gate Award | God's Own Country | Nominated | [36] |
Satellite Awards | February 10, 2018 | Best Film | God's Own Country | Pending | [37] |
Stockholm International Film Festival | November 20, 2017 | Best Direction | Francis Lee | Won | [38] |
Best Male Actor | Josh O'Connor | Won | |||
Bronze Horse | God's Own Country | Nominated | |||
Sundance Film Festival | January 28, 2017 | World Cinema Directing Award | Francis Lee | Won | [39][40][41] |
Grand Jury Prize | Francis Lee | Nominated | |||
Sydney Film Festival | June 18, 2017 | Foxtel Movies Audience Award | God's Own Country | 7th place | [42] |
Toronto Inside Out Lesbian and Gay Film and Video Festival | June 4, 2017 | Bill Sherwood Award | God's Own Country | Won | [43][44] |
Transilvania International Film Festival | June 11, 2017 | Special Jury Award | God's Own Country | Won | [45] |
Transilvania Trophy | God's Own Country | Nominated | |||
Writers' Guild of Great Britain Awards | January 15, 2018 | Best First Screenplay | Francis Lee | Nominated | [46] |
Zagreb Film Festival | November 18, 2017 | The Golden Pram | God's Own Country | Nominated | [47] |
References
- ^ a b "God's Own Country". www.sundance.org. Sundance Institute. Retrieved 11 January 2017.
- ^ a b Sherwin, Adam (1 December 2016). "Sundance Film Festival to premiere Yorkshire sheep farming movie". iNews. Retrieved 11 January 2017.
- ^ http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/intl/?page=&id=_fGODSOWNCOUNTRY01
- ^ a b Rahman, Miran (9 August 2014). "Planned feature film could receive key funding support". Bradford Telegraph and Argus. Retrieved 11 January 2017.
- ^ a b "British Council Film: God's Own Country". film.britishcouncil.org. British Film Council. Retrieved 11 January 2017.
- ^ "God's Own Country full cast and crew". imdb.com. 23 January 2017. Retrieved 11 January 2017.
- ^ Rosser, Michael. "'God's Own Country' cast revealed as shoot begins". screendaily.com. Retrieved 11 January 2017.
- ^ a b Knights, David (29 April 2016). "New movie God's Own Country filmed at Keighley bus station". Keighley News. Retrieved 11 January 2017.
- ^ "Shudder Films' First Completed Feature Selected for Premiere at Sundance ‹ News and Opportunities ‹ Homepage". NFM. Retrieved 11 January 2017.
- ^ "God's Own Country". Berlin International Film Festival. Retrieved 15 May 2017.
- ^ Lodderhose, Diana (6 February 2017). "Berlin Rounds Out Panorama Lineup, Adds 'Call Me By Your Name' & 'God's Own Country'". Deadline.com. Retrieved 15 May 2017.
- ^ Grater, Tom (6 February 2017). "Picturehouse takes Sundance hit 'God's Own Country' for UK". Screen International. Retrieved 15 May 2017.
- ^ Tartaglione, Nancy (8 May 2017). "Orion Pictures, Samuel Goldwyn Films Land 'God's Own Country' For U.S." Deadline.com. Retrieved 15 May 2017.
- ^ Mitchell, Robert (9 May 2017). "'God's Own Country,' Gay Love Story That Premiered at Sundance, to Open Edinburgh Film Festival". Variety. Retrieved 15 May 2017.
- ^ "God's Own Country". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 27 October 2017.
- ^ "God's Own Country". Metacritic. Retrieved 27 October 2017.
- ^ Bradshaw, Peter (22 January 2017). "God's Own Country review – Dales answer to Brokeback that's a very British love story". The Guardian. Retrieved 29 January 2017.
- ^ a b Roxborough, Scott (18 February 2017). "Berlin: Sebastian Lelio's 'A Fantastic Woman' Wins Teddy Award for Best Film". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 18 February 2017.
- ^ Potton, Ed (1 September 2017). "It's Brokeback on the moors". The Times. No. 72317. Times 2. p. 8. ISSN 0140-0460.
{{cite news}}
: CS1 maint: location (link) - ^ "All Films At The 31st Teddy Award". Teddy Award. Archived from the original on 20 July 2017. Retrieved 17 October 2017.
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{{cite news}}
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{{cite web}}
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/|archive-url=
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suggested) (help) - ^ Grater, Tom (2 October 2017). "'God's Own Country', 'Daphne' win top prizes in Dinard". Screendaily. Retrieved 2 October 2017.
- ^ "Award winners announced for the 71st EIFF". Edinburgh International Film Festival. 30 June 2017. Archived from the original on 21 November 2017. Retrieved 30 June 2017.
- ^ "God's Own Country wins Edinburgh Film Festival award". BBC. 30 June 2017. Retrieved 30 June 2017.
- ^ "Frameline41 Awards Announced". Frameline San Francisco International LGBTQ Film Festival. 27 June 2017. Archived from the original on 29 August 2017. Retrieved 27 June 2017.
{{cite news}}
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- ^ "Honolulu Museum of Art — Honolulu Rainbow Film Festival 2017". Honolulu Museum of Art. Archived from the original on 21 November 2017. Retrieved 5 September 2017.
{{cite news}}
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{{cite news}}
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: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
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- ^ "Golden Gate Award Feature Film Competitions Announced for 60th San Francisco International Film Festival" (Press release). San Francisco International Film Festival. 8 March 2017. Archived from the original on 21 November 2017. Retrieved 5 September 2017.
{{cite news}}
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{{cite web}}
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(help) - ^ "15th ZFF Presents Program!". Zagreb Film Festival. 2 November 2017. Archived from the original on 21 November 2017. Retrieved 2 November 2017.
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External links
- 2017 films
- British drama films
- British films
- English-language films
- Films set in Yorkshire
- Films shot in England
- Films shot in Yorkshire
- British LGBT-related films
- LGBT-related drama films
- LGBT-related coming-of-age films
- 2010s LGBT-related films
- Samuel Goldwyn Films films
- Orion Pictures films
- LGBT romance films
- British romantic drama films
- British independent films
- Films about immigration
- Romani films