You can't throw a rock in most towns without hitting an old lady crying for her children who have gone

Continuing my trip down Empire's top 100 films of the century so far...

No witty and insightful comments into films I'd already seen this time because we're on a run of two in a row that I hadn't seen.  This will happen a few more times during the countdown (countup?) but I was stupidly pleased to find I never have three in a row.

So - God's Own Country.  It got great reviews at the time and it was on the list to watch, but I'd never got round to it (along with a lot of other films, funnily enough).  

And overall, I enjoyed it.  At times, surprisingly little happened but it was all beautifully shot, although possibly a little too fond of arty shots of the countryside (but if you're going to pick countryside you might as well pick Yorkshire).  It was also very well acted, with the two leads giving particularly fine performances, including a surprising amount of animal and farm work thrown in along with the acting. 

And although I say little happened, the main plot arc is significant, engaging and realistic - with side-plots contributing effectively to make you believe and understand the "action".  Something else I only learned when reading up on the film afterwards is that it is Francis Lee's directorial debut - which you'd never guess when watching it, given the obvious skill and attention to detail on display.

I also found it interesting to compare this to Call Me By Your Name - both of which deal with someone striking up a same-sex relationships with an outsider.  I'd have to say I much preferred both the people and the depiction of the relationship in this film - it felt warmer, more realistic and less problematic.  It also doesn't end with a hint of "don't worry - it's a phase you'll grow out of" which was something that only occurred to me after watching both films.  Both films also feature the two main characters swimming in a lake - when watching this film, my overriding thought was how cold it must have been compared to the lake in Italy! 

So, whilst this film won't be for everyone (and it's not one to watch with younger kids), I enjoyed it.  Whilst I won't be rushing back to it, I suspect it would reward a second viewing and I'm certainly going to be checking out future Francis Lee films.