God’s Own Country (2017)

Directed by Francis Lee. Starring Josh O’Connor, Alec Secăreanu, Ian Hart, Gemma Jones, Patsy Ferran.

Young sheep farmer O’Connor is numbed by the routine of working under his father’s thumb, broken up only by trips to the pub and encounters with casual partners. But then Romanian worker Secăreanu arrives to help out with the load, and he opens within O’Connor notions of intimacy, affection and devotion. Commendable feature debut for director Lee is filmed with an eye for harsh, weather-beaten realism; sensitive, deeply-felt treatment only succumbs to sentimentalism by the end, but that’s merely comparative to what came before. Good performances from all, especially O’Connor who grows and opens up alongside the character he essays (the arc is predictable but satisfying). Non-farmers may find the calving scenes difficult to watch. Due to the dense accents and slang on hand, it’s recommended to view with subtitles turned on.

78/100