God's Own Country (2017)
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A young sheep farmer's life is transformed by the arrival of a Romanian migrant worker.
The story
In Yorkshire, Johnny lives on the family farm with his father, Martin, and grandmother, Deirdre. Because his father had suffered a stroke and because of his grandmother's age, much of the day-to-day running of the farm falls to Johnny. In his free time, Johnny engages in binge drinking and furtive sexual encounters with other men. The arrival of Gheorghe, a Romanian migrant worker hired for the lambing season, introduces a new dynamic to the farm. As the two men are forced to work together in the remote areas of the farm, their interactions begin to shift the boundaries of their respective lives.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Johnny, a young farmer in Yorkshire, manages his family's farm while his father, Martin, is incapacitated by a stroke. He spends his free time drinking and seeking sexual encounters. When Gheorghe, a Romanian migrant worker, is hired for the lambing season, the two men are assigned to work together in a remote area of the farm. Their relationship evolves from professional tension to a physical and passionate connection after a confrontation. Following a period of intimacy, Gheorghe initially leaves when Johnny's erratic behavior and lack of commitment to the farm's future cause a rift. However, after Martin's condition worsens, Johnny realizes the weight of his responsibility. He tracks down Gheorghe in Scotland, and the two men reconcile. Gheorghe eventually returns to the farm, moving into the house to help Johnny manage the land on his own terms.
- First release year
- 2017
- Runtime (minutes)
- 105
- Production countries
- United Kingdom
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Francis Lee
- Writers
- Francis Lee · writer
- Cast and characters
- Josh O'Connor · Johnny Saxby; Alec Secăreanu · Gheorghe Ionescu; Gemma Jones · Deirdre Saxby, Johnny's grandmother and Martin's mother; Ian Hart · Martin Saxby, John's father and Deirdre's son
- Genres
- romantic drama; independent; LGBTQ-related
- Themes
- masculinity; rural life; immigration; responsibility
- Tone and mood
- raw; intimate
- Premise and plot tags
- coming-of-age; romance; drama
- Source material / true-story basis
- Based on the life of director Francis Lee.
- Content notes
- explicit sex
- Reception
- The film received widespread acclaim from critics, who praised the performances and story, and noted it as a promising start for the director.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 85 · scale: 100 · review count: 22
- Awards and nominations
- Harvey Award · presented by the Teddy Awards programme for LGBT-related films · 2017 · win
- Production trivia
- The film was banned in several countries due to explicit sex scenes.; The film was the only UK-based production in the world drama category at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival.; The film is partly based on the director's personal experience of choosing between his family farm and drama school.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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