God’s Own Country is now streaming on Netflix
Acclaimed gay film God’s Own Country is now available on Netflix in the UK.
The film, which was released last year, features Josh O’Connor in a BAFTA-nominated role as a gay Yorkshire farmer, whose life is transformed by the arrival of a Romanian migrant worker (Alec Secareanu) on his family’s dilapidated farm.
Despite failing to land a large commercial release, the film – which was shot on a budget of just £1 million, has received considerable praise from critics and the LGBT community alike.
The film today made its debut on streaming giant Netflix in the UK. Other markets may vary,.
God’s Own Country has picked up two Evening Standard British Film Awards, three British Independent Film Awards, a Satellite Award and two BAFTA nominations.
Gheorghe and Johnny (Photo: Picturehouse Entertainment)
O’Connor said that the critical success of the film and gay-themed drama Call Me By Your Name show that the film industry is finally taking notice of its LGBT audience.
He said: “It’s great. I think it’s a really important stat. It’s an important stat because it’s good for the industry to know there is a hunger for films like this and the narratives like these.
“So the more we can say to the industry ‘come on, you need to make these.’ There is a hunger and you need to satisfy the hunger of the audience’ because these are the films they want to see.”
The film explores the burgeoning relationship between Johnny (played by O’Connor) and a gay farmer who falls in love with a migrant worker Gheorghe (played by Alec Secareanu).
(YouTube)
Speaking to PinkNews last year, Secareanu explained why audiences may have taken so well to it, saying: “What I love about this story is that it’s not a coming out story, it’s a love story.
“Love is more important than prejudice, society or the environment that you live in.
“That’s why I fell in love with the story.”
Lee said: “I think this film is important in that it is two men; I don’t think it could be a man and a woman or two women.
“I think it’s important because the film is about masculinity and about how men communicate.”
The film was made before the Brexit vote – but its themes of racism and EU migration now resonate form any reasons.
Lee added: “What’s important I think is to not take your eye off the ball, not to be too comfortable because as soon as you do that, things slip backwards”.
He said it was “always important to keep fighting and pushing the agenda.
“If that means a film that shows same-sex relationships, then yes, it’s good that we keep reminding and keep going as the fight is not won.”
Lee spoke about how although the film is set in the Yorkshire Dales, there’s a universal quality to the story that can appeal to even the most hardcore city-dwellers among us.
“Well, I hope [city audiences] go on the journey with the characters, and I hope what they take from it is a very emotional and heartfelt story, and I hope they see some resonance,” he said.
“I think the film is about love, hope and falling in love, and most of us – if we’ve been lucky – have known what it feels like to fall in love.
“It can be incredible and beautiful, but also tough.”
God’s Own Country
A trailer and synopsis is below.
Johnny Saxby (Josh O’Connor) works long hours on his family’s remote farm in the north of England. He numbs the daily frustration of his lonely existence with nightly binge-drinking at the local pub and casual sex. But when a handsome Romanian migrant worker (Alec Secareanu) arrives to take up temporary work on the family farm, Johnny suddenly finds himself having to deal with emotions he has never felt before. As they begin working closely together during lambing season, an intense relationship starts to form which could change Johnny’s life forever.
Captivating and broodingly beautiful, God’s Own Country is the award winning debut feature from writer/director Francis Lee. Bracingly open hearted, this is a thrillingly romantic story set in the heart of rural Yorkshire. Both poignant and moving, this finely crafted British film features a host of standout performances, marking it out as an absolute must see.
