Props must also be given to Francis Lee- as a first time director, this is not the movie we in the audience were expecting. The emotional performances by the two leads make the great movie even better. I could feel the lust between the two when they were on stage, and the heartbreak that happens when a fight occurs.
It has been many, many years since I have seen a film where two individuals had as much chemistry between them, and the work that Josh and Alec put in to their character leaves the audience deeply and emotionally connected to both characters throughout the entirety of the movie. The most dazzling part of this film is the two young leads, Josh and Alec. It's not a remake of the classic, it's an advancement of the genre that Brokeback Mountain helped define. It speaks to more current issues of gay young men in a modern rural area, masterfully incorporating themes of identity issues, immigrant problems, and familial expectations. While the comparisons between the two films were inevitable, God's Own Country offers different things than Ang Lee's classic. After seeing this at the Galway Film Fleadh, I can honestly say that this film is a beautiful standout that deserves more than to be called the 'British Brokeback Mountain'.
