Children of God

Originally a wonderful short movie called FLOAT, CHILDREN OF GOD is a moving, thought-provoking, funny and brilliantly poetic love story. Set in the idyllic world of the Bahamas, a blocker painter (Johnny Ferro) searches for inspiration for his painting but instead finds inspiration in the arms of another lost soul (Stephen Tyrone Williams). Director Kareem Mortimer has set this beautiful story in an island paradise. But the characters he has created keep finding ways to keep paradise from coming true for them. The acting in this movie is revelatory. All of he performances are top notch, especially those by Johnny Ferro, Stephen Tyrone Williams and Margaret Laurena Kemp. The camera especially loves the beautiful and sensuous Stephen Tyrone Williams. This movie is a work of art that should be seen by everyone. Bravo to all involved.

The Good; Lead actor is cute. A refection of how homophobia is alive in the Caribbean and fueled by religious hypocrisy. The Bad; The lead actor is obviously not gay and uses that to show a character who has so many odd personal issues. But all of his issues are inconsistent, ironic and for that cause very unrealistic in his bi-polar behavior (one minute he is timid and the next he is outspoken). Film starts with a white boy who is not privileged (and expressively so), from school situation to housing and the next he has a car and money to get around a pay a tour guide. Really!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The conclusion was a cop out that lacked creativity and imagination.

I can understand a film being rushed for budget purposes, but time should be taken to rewrite and put a story together as a package before filming and not be a bunch of conflicting scenarios just to make a point. Did anyone bother to read and try to make sense of the whole script before committing to it?

In spite of the tremendous advances in gay rights in many countries in recent years, homophobia is actually intensifying in many place. While first and foremost a beautiful and tender personal drama, Children of God is also a study of anti-gay intolerance in the Bahamas.

The main story is about Johnny, a gay art student who's so broken that he can no longer express his feelings on canvas, can't defend himself even verbally, and can't even touch another human being. Faced with losing his art scholarship, his teacher directs him to spend a few days on the island of Eleuthera to reconnect with nature, and hopefully his own artistic spirit. There he meets the aptly-named Romeo, who helps him to discover hope, trust, and love.

The second-most prominent story, which lightly touches Johnny's, is that of Ralph and his family. Ralph is a vehemently anti-gay preacher with a secret, driven to stage anti-gay rallies. Lena, his wife, learns she has acquired an STD from him. When she tries to find out what he's done, he turns on her, and to cope, she buries herself even more deeply in his "Save the Bahamas" campaign, hoping to find solace in certainty. In turn, she unwittingly bullies her young son, who becomes afraid that he might be go to hell if he does something "sissy."

Children of God isn't perfect. Some of the meetings toward the end seem somewhat forced, and religious dialogue, always difficult to handle well, doesn't sound quite as natural as it did in, say, Wise Kids. And some of Johnny's quirks seem implausible; how can you have sex if you're afraid to shake hands? The most serious flaw is a character named Purple who has no development. The movie would be improved omitting him and rewriting the ending.

Yet for all this, it's a very good film. If you don't need Hollywood CGI explosions, and can enjoy small stories of the heart, you'll enjoy Children of God.

This film tells the story of a shy white guy in Bahamas, who is bullied and outcast because of his homosexuality. He meets a handsome man during a trip to find inspiration for his paintings, and his life is changed forever.

It is probably the first time that I watch a film from the Bahamas, and I am fully blown away. First, the technical aspects are great. I can see they used really good equipment. The picture quality is sharp, and the shot of the moon is just so clear. The lens just for that shot must have cost a fortune! Second, the story is very intense. There are two stories, one main story about the white guy, and the other story about the church clergyman. These subplots dive deep into a land where being gay is hard. The active homophobia spread by some sectors of the society shatters lives in paradise. As one of the characters say, he spreads homophobia because it gives people a reason to unite. It is very sad but true.

I truly enjoyed watching "Children of God"". I have not expected the level of complexity and depth shown in this intense film, and I really hope it will find more audiences.

Is it that people are disappointed in the lack of sex or why is this pretty amazing first gay feature film from the Caribbean so much panned?

It's not the gay love story that's at the center here, but pseudo-Christian homophobia, and I would venture to say that no film has so far taken this issue to such lengths. True, that makes for a bulky watching experience, what with the issues all the characters have: The fag-hating preacher who is a closeted homosexual himself, his STD-infected wife who diverts her doubts into anti-gay action, the sensitive painter, the free-and-easy closeted opportunist... it really feels like a play, but quite intentionally so.

And none of these characters are so far away from reality - if you're from a hyper-Christian environment, then you will know for a fact how much hypocrisy and denial they endorse... a lot of preachers in my native Romania talk just as hateful as those in this film, and a lot of them are likely to be closeted homosexuals themselves.

'Children of God' is less of a story than a statement, so don't watch it if you're asking for serious character development or story structure in a film. However, if you're wondering how the equal rights issue can be addressed in an environment where PC doesn't protect you, then this is your film.