Look back: "God's Own Country"

by Matt St Clair

The beauty in God’s Own Country, the marvelous directorial debut from Francis Lee whose newest film Ammonite has hit VOD, is not just in the luscious landscapes. It's also in the silence. The two lead actors use their facial glances and body language to confess their infatuation. Minus the ending, there’s no cathartic monologue spoken by either John (Josh O’Connor) or Gheorghe (Alec Secareanu). No 'I love you's because the words aren’t needed. Nor is this a typical “coming out” narrative present within the realm of queer cinema where the characters come to a gradual realization about their sexualities.

It’s clear when God’s Own Country begins that John is already aware of his sexuality. He engages in hedonistic hook ups for minor fulfillment.  He acts out sexually but without intimacy and definitely without kissing. When Gheorghe arrives to help John and his family on their Yorkshire farm, their bond initially starts with wrestling in the mountains...

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Gay and Lesbian Entertainment Critics Name the "Best" Film and TV of the Year

by Nathaniel R

The Gay and Lesbian Entertainment Critics Association (aka GALECA) have announced their annual Dorian Award nominations. We thought we'd share the list here since a few of us at Team Experience are members. Though you might feel like I determined the nominees singlehandedly (PFEIFFER ALERT !!!) I am but one vote among many so I'm relieved that other voters chose the perpfect thing, while voting.

Perhaps it's no surprise that Call Me By Your Name led the nominees with 9 votes. Shape of Water was close behind with 7 nods. What was a surprise was 5 nominations for the still wildly underseen French drama BPM (Beats Per Minute) already shunned by Oscar in the category it should have been frontrunning in. 

I personally don't vote in every category, abstaining from the ones I feel are most problematic (does anyone actually agree on what "camp" means in 2018?) or in categories where I feel like I have not seen enough (like documentary though I love almost all the nominees they named this year in that category.)  The list with a few notes is after the jump...

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BIFA Nominations: Lady Macbeth and Three Billboards Boosts

by Nathaniel R

Film Stars Don't Die in Liverpool received 4 nominationsHot on the heels of the Gotham Awards, the British Independent Film Awards have announced their 2017 nominations. Though they don't tend to get much press in the US due to the the first two words in their title, they're worth noting. And, we'd argue, they're worth noting precisely for their limited jurisdiction. Awards groups with their own identity / purview are all too rare. Lady Macbeth led the field (15 nominations) with gay romantic drama God's Own Country (11 nominations), political satire The Death of Stalin (13 nominations), I Am Not a Witch (12 nominations) and one big tragicomedy Oscar hopeful Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri (11 nominations) also super popular

I think the nomination I'm happiest to see (just because it was no sure thing) is Jamie Bell in Film Stars Don't Die in Liverpool for Best Actor. He's just brilliant in the film as I've mentioned before but it's the type of role -- nuanced / romantic / skewing "feminine" in its appeal -- for which male actors are rarely honored no matter how good they are. The complete list of nominees is after the jump...

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C O N S I D E R - Favorite Actors of 2017, 3rd Qtr

With only three months of the year to go - eep! -- it's time to look back on the past three months for movies we saw from July through September (excluding films with firm release dates in the next three months). Herewith Nathaniel's 17 favorite male performances from the year's third quarter (plus first week of October to keep us up-to-date), divvied up into three categories.  (Movies with asterisks have not yet been released.)

Did these men speak to you with their turns? 

7 LEADING ACTORS

Daniel Gimenez Cacho as "Don Diego de Zama" in Zama*
One of my favorite Mexican actors. Though I found the film impenetrable, he's always strong.

Harris Dickinson as "Frankie" in Beach Rats
Here's to debuts that reveal both fully-formed star charisma and film-carrying craft

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Trailer for ''God's Own Country''

by Murtada

Do we have a new gay classic coming our way this year? Judging by the reactions from a few film festivals, we just might. The film in question is Francis Lee’s debut God’s Own Country. The story is about a farmer from Northern England and his journey of sexual discovery after falling for a Romanian migrant worker...

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