--- title: "God's Own Country: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/gods-own-country/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/gods-own-country" critics_score: 83 critics_reviews: 25 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # God's Own Country (2017): what the critics said Critics' score 83 from 25 reviews: 23 positive, 1 mixed, 1 negative. Most critics warmly endorse Francis Lee’s debut, with praise concentrated on the performances, the physical detail of Yorkshire farm life and the romance’s emotional honesty. Josh O’Connor and Alec Secareanu’s chemistry is a recurring strength, while the frank sex scenes are widely seen as integral to the relationship. The reviews also value Lee’s restraint: small changes in behaviour carry the drama without much need for speeches. Several find thoughtful connections between the love story, family tensions and attitudes towards immigration. The scores span a wide range, but outright dissent is rare. The Times finds that the northern grimness sometimes approaches parody, while still admiring the setting and robust romance. The Playlist’s reservations include occasionally difficult local slang. The Wrap is the clear outlier, arguing that distant camerawork and an overemphasis on physical detail prevent the central relationship from acquiring the nuance and emotional depth most critics find in it. ## The i Paper — Matthew Turner Rating ★★★★★. 31 August 2017. The critic calls the debut unmissable and a strong contender for the best British film of the year, praising its achingly British romance, exceptional performances from O’Connor and Secareanu, and Lee’s impressive control of the material including the political subtext. [Read the review](https://inews.co.uk/culture/film/gods-own-country-review-best-british-film-of-the-year-88041) ## Empire — Terri White Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 28 August 2017. The critic calls it a stunning debut from Lee and a full-hearted gay love story focused on the transformative power of love between Johnny and Gheorghe as well as with his family. She highlights the delicate, quietly devastating shifts in the characters rather than high drama. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/god-country-review/) ## Los Angeles Times — Justin Chang Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 26 October 2017. The critic calls it a near-flawless first feature and transporting love story of toughness and tenderness. He singles out the wrenchingly acted bond between the Yorkshire farmer and the Romanian migrant worker. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-gods-own-country-review-20171026-story.html) ## RogerEbert.com — Glenn Kenny Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 25 October 2017. The critic finds the debut feature a tricky but honest and exceptional story of personal transformation through love and commitment on a Yorkshire farm. He singles out the ravishing landscape cinematography and strong performances for praise. [Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/gods-own-country-2017) ## Screen Daily Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 21 January 2017. Festival review. Lee’s intense romance focuses on a troubled young man on a remote Yorkshire farm, delivering unexpected emotional richness and raw talent. It is a small production big in heart, honesty and an irresistibly hopeful flight as a romance. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/gods-own-country-sundance-review/5112852.article) ## Sight and Sound — Alex Davidson Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 30 August 2017. Lee’s debut is an eerily beautiful love story between two men and the wild Yorkshire landscape, post-gay and pre-Brexit. It is one of the most exciting British debuts of the past decade, with superb performances and a moving sense of hope amid hardship. [Read the review](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/film-week-gods-own-country-unites-males-dales) ## The Hollywood Reporter — David Rooney Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 21 January 2017. Festival review. The review praises the film's naturalistic drama of love and self-discovery on a Yorkshire farm, highlighting its frank treatment of gay sexuality and strong performances amid a hopeful ending. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/gods-own-country-review-sundance-2017-964686/) ## The New York Times — Jeannette Catsoulis Rating Critic's Pick. 24 October 2017. The critic praises the bracing, sometimes brutal debut as a story of emotional loosening through an unexpected connection. She singles out the awkward and explicit passion between the two leads amid the harsh Yorkshire landscape. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/24/movies/gods-own-country-review.html) ## Slant Magazine — Diego Semerene Rating 3.5/4. 24 October 2017. The review finds the film moving for its multidimensional portrait of toxic masculinity and family dynamics, praising how tenderness ultimately prevails as a source of strength. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/gods-own-country/) ## Variety Rating Critics Pick. 22 January 2017. Festival review. The critic calls it a deeply felt, sexy, thoughtful and hopeful debut that earns its Brokeback comparisons. He singles out the pro-immigration subtext and sympathetic lead performance for praise. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2017/film/reviews/gods-own-country-review-1201966096/) ## IndieWire — Jude Dry Rating B+. 25 January 2017. Festival review. The critic calls it an expertly crafted debut that improves on Brokeback Mountain tropes with a nuanced queer romance and strong direction, avoiding tragic clichés. [Read the review](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/movies/gods-own-country-sundance-review-gay-1201772800/) ## Evening Standard — Charlotte O'Sullivan Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 12 February 2018. The critic deems it a winner that is graphic yet subtle, with gentle revelations and strong performances, especially Ian Hart's intimate and agonising turn as the father. She notes how Lee makes the personal political in this hopeful Yorkshire romance. [Read the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/gods-own-country-review-its-grim-but-gripping-up-north-a3682676.html) ## Financial Times — Nigel Andrews Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 31 August 2017. Lee’s skilfully scripted first feature is the gay movie of the summer, with honest, unflinching love scenes and a dourly enthralling tale of emotional awakening on a provincial farm. The critic singles out the graphic yet moving farm work and the story’s birth-pained pantheism. [Read the review](https://www.ft.com/content/2aa03572-8da3-11e7-9084-d0c17942ba93) ## Little White Lies — Trevor Johnston Rating 3/4/5. 1 September 2017. The film starts with grungy naturalism but becomes sensual and spiritual, a potent meditation on the transformative power of love. Lee delivers an outstanding debut with authentic performances and heart-rending emotional depth. [Read the review](https://lwlies.com/reviews/gods-own-country) ## Radio Times — Stephen Carty Rating 4/5. A tender romance develops between two young men in this naturalistic, low-key drama set on a windswept Yorkshire farm. Strong performances convey a range of emotions, rewarding patient viewers with a surprisingly hopeful final act. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-bcxd0d/gods-own-country/) ## The Telegraph — Robbie Collin Rating 4/5. 1 September 2017. Lee’s tactile, austere debut follows two young men whose romance unfolds amid the harsh realities of Yorkshire sheep farming. The critic praises the genuine chemistry between the leads, the film’s cumulative emotional power and its debt to but difference from Brokeback Mountain. [Read the review](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/0/gods-country-review-brokeback-mountain-yorkshire-moors/) ## Time Out — Dave Calhoun Rating 4/5. 29 August 2017. This confident British indie debut captures a young farmer’s romantic awakening with earthy authenticity and convincing detail. It is a gently romantic film that feels truthful and hopeful rather than pretty or miserable. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/gods-own-country) ## The Guardian Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 3 September 2017. Francis Lee’s debut is a tender study of a disaffected young farmer whose relationship with a Romanian worker reawakens his connection to the land and himself. The critic highlights the film’s symbolic details, strong performances and parallels with other macho-world love stories rather than Brokeback Mountain. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2017/sep/03/gods-own-country-review) ## The Times — Edward Porter Rating ★★★. 3 September 2017. The Yorkshire-set debut inevitably recalls Brokeback Mountain yet carves its own identity through its setting and mix of toughness and beauty. Some northern grimness verges on parody but the environment suits the simple, robust love story. [Read the review](https://www.thetimes.com/culture/tv-radio/article/film-reviews-the-farthest-the-limehouse-golem-gods-own-country-moon-dogs-eat-locals-and-stratton-cr5bnf2lq) ## Den of Geek — Charlotte Harrison Rating 5/5. 8 September 2017. The film is a marvellous and tenderly-told love story about the transformative and healing powers of loving and being loved. It features two extraordinary central performances that move and warm the heart in equal measure. [Read the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/god-s-own-country-review/) ## HeyUGuys — Stefan Pape Rating 5/5. 10 June 2017. Festival review. The review calls it a striking debut that succeeds visually, narratively and emotionally in an uncompromising way. It singles out the authentic, immersive portrayal of the farm setting and the central romantic relationship for praise. [Read the review](https://www.heyuguys.com/gods-own-country-review/) ## Eye for Film — Amber Wilkinson Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 19 June 2017. The critic praises the authentic depiction of farm life and family dynamics rooted in the director's Yorkshire upbringing. The strong chemistry between the leads and the film's emotional payoff are highlighted as strengths. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/gods-own-country-2017-film-review-by-amber-wilkinson) ## The Skinny — Jamie Dunn Rating ★★★★. 21 June 2017. Festival review. It is a beautiful and tender tale of love that avoids queer canon clichés and crafts a deeply cinematic story with a heart-swelling conclusion free of sentimentality. The film stands out for its raw, real approach to gay sex and the palpable chemistry between the leads. [Read the review](https://www.theskinny.co.uk/film/new-releases/gods-own-country) ## The Playlist — Gregory Ellwood Rating B-. 21 January 2017. Festival review. The critic finds the film breathes new life into a familiar coming-out story through its focus on intimate physical connection and character transformation. It notes strong performances and grounded sex scenes but criticizes occasional hard-to-understand local slang. [Read the review](https://theplaylist.net/gods-own-country-is-a-sexy-and-muddy-tale-of-a-gay-man-finding-love-review-sundance-20170121/) ## The Wrap — Dan Callahan Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 25 October 2017. Festival review. The critic finds that the film starts promisingly with fast pacing and erotic tension but ultimately fails due to distant camerawork in key scenes and a lack of nuance in the central relationship. It becomes overly focused on saliva, sheep, and close-ups rather than emotional depth or realism. [Read the review](https://www.thewrap.com/gods-own-country-review-francis-lee-josh-o-connor/) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/gods-own-country.md