BlueFairyBlog

Literally all ratings for this film in the past month stem from a single showing at the New Beverly Theater in Los Angeles, that's literally how difficult it is to find. It's a shame too because this is truly one of the funniest, off the wall, and quotable Hong Kong grindhouse films I have ever seen. I want to show it to everyone I know and can't so whomp whomp on that. If you get the chance to watch this wonderful, zany horror duo please do so immediately.

Films centering around LGBT characters have historically dealt with the harsh realities of the queer identity: ostracization, abuse, sexual assault, AIDS, disenfranchisement, and prejudice. The most popular gay male romantic film of the past twenty years followed two cowboys who only found peace high in the mountains during the 1960s-1980s and feared violence for being who they were. Fast forward to 2019, a year where the president is a white supremacist who wants to do gay, queer, and trans folks harm and it's hard to find stories about being queer or trans that aren't wrapped in societal strife. While we have a better range of choices for our gay love stories, and there are ground-breaking movies and television shows coming out every day, God's Own Country feels more significant than anything I have seen in a long time.

The story starts in Yorkshire with the Saxby family. Johnny (O'Connor) is a sullen gay twentysomething who is stuck working the family farm after his father (Hart) suffers a stroke. His grandmother (Jones) helps as best as she can but she is just another mouth to feed. Though he wishes to leave the rolling hills of his homeland he is trapped, so he goes out every night until he becomes sloppy drunk, screwing a local gay single occasionally. So enters Romanian farmhand Gheorghe (Secareanu), a young man who brings tenderness and love into the home for the first time in a long while. While breeching lamps in the spring season the two men fall in love, Gheorghe showing Johnny how to love and be loved for the first time in his life.

The major selling point of the film is that it's a gay story that doesn't highlight the difficulties of being a gay couple. A much bigger aspect of the story involves British xenophobia towards immigrants, which was the major reason for Brexit. Much of the physical violence seen in the film happens because Gheorghe faces constant racism, from Johnny initially and then at a local pub. Yorkshire provides a gorgeous scenic landscape for much of the film, all rolling verdant hills and windswept trees. There is a feeling of being absolutely alone in the wild tall grasses as the characters stand at the summit of their insular world. The film is also quite accurate in that it shows real farm life, including scenes of actual animal births. Director Francis Lee (this is his directorial debut) worked his family farm in Yorkshire growing up and he is also gay.

This film has seen worldwide critical and commercial success because it tells a traditional story about having to grow up quickly in a world that throws everything at you time and time again. Johnny Saxby is a familiar character, one who must understand his own shortcomings in order to do right by his family and keep the love of his life. It's a story about maturity, an attribute that is becoming harder to attain in a world where burnout culture is the regular topic of conversation amongst millennials and "adulting" is a common verb. It's nice to see a male character go through this transformation while shedding toxic characteristics and finding queer love.

Before I get into my criticism I would like to highlight the fact that this film was written and directed by a woman. The director in question is Lauren Miller Rogen, and don't be fooled by that last name, this woman has earned her way through Hollywood all on her own. From working on short indie projects through the early 2000s, to having a hand in her husband, Seth Rogen's films, to co-writing the undervalued yet super funny comedy For a Good Time, Call... Lauren Miller Rogen has been working her tail off for a good fifteen years. Like Father is her directorial debut, though I hope she continues directing in the future.

Now, I'm not going to say that I absolutely adored this film. A lot of people recommended it to me based solely on the father-daughter relationship between Rachel (Bell) and Harry (Grammar), and I would say that that is the strongest aspect of the script. Bell and Grammar are each uber talented people who have starred in classic television comedies and are beloved by almost everyone. While there are no huge comedic moments or funny zings (besides the Newlywed Game scene) they inhabit real and complicated characters who have major flaws, and that in of itself is very entertaining to see. They're mending their estranged relationship aboard what was supposed to be Rachel's honeymoon cruise, and in the process understand each other for the first time in their lives. It was especially interesting to see Rachel fail when confronted with reality after being aboard the cruise, wavering on the emotional journey we expect her to take to heart. Seth Rogen also plays a love interest named Jeff, and an ensemble supporting cast play the other passengers, including the always funny Paul W. Downs (Broad City).

My main issue with the film is that it's a giant ad for Royal Caribbean cruises. I understand that product placement is a huge part of filmmaking (Jack and Jill, The Internship, Sex Tape) and probably made this film possible, but it felt really gross. There are so many common problems with cruises that aren't addressed, including food poisoning, the quick spread of norovirus, and the lack of safety measures for passengers who go overboard. While many people take cruises without incident every year, and these issues don't need to be front and center, it did need to be acknowledged that certain scenes were written just for Royal Caribbean Cruises to directly advertise to Netflix viewers. I doubt anyone wants to see a future where services and products advertise directly into our homes through Netflix, as they already advertise to us through any means necessary.

The only other criticism I have is that we have seen the overworked female character before. We have seen her struggle and fail, and her achievements perceived to be less important compared to love and friendship and family. Even though I thought a lot of Rachel's self-reflection was truly inspiring in a lot of ways, it felt weird that it had to start with her as a harried professional tied to her cell phone. Maybe it's just time for us all to admit that women who want to succeed aren't broken and work our ways backwards. Until that day I guess I can at least enjoy the shots of the ocean whizzing by and scenes of Seth Rogen awkwardly flirting.