'God’s Country' Starring Thandiwe Newton — Film Review
There’s a tone in Julian Higgins’ feature debut, “God’s Country,” that succinctly captures the essence of the film’s narrative in a way that alters how and what we think about survival. It’s dark, heavy, delicate, honest and extreme.
Sandra (Thandiwe Newton) is very tired. It’s been years of trying (and failing) to please her recently deceased mother, while also navigating the challenging politics and power dynamics at the college where she teaches. And then there is the racism, sexism, and toxic masculinity she encounters wherever she goes. But it’s a confrontation with two hunters trespassing on her property that ultimately tests Sandra’s self-restraint, pushing her grief and mounting anger to their limits. God’s Country examines one woman’s grieving process and determination to be taken seriously amid her refusal to surrender to the confines of society.
“God’s Country” is based on a short story (Winter Light) by bestselling Montana author, James Lee Burke. In his version, the main character is an older white man. In “God’s Country,” the POV perspective gets flipped when the main character is changed to a black woman in her 40s — living in western Montana.
Sandra (named after Sandra Bland) experiences a myriad of emotions but doesn’t do a lot of talking, instead, she expresses most of how and what she feels through action, movement, body language, eyes, and facial expressions. This, along with Higgin’s use of Montana’s sparsely populated landscape and snow-capped mountains, inform and lift the visual narrative to an authentic height. Newton delivers a noteworthy performance as Sandra — a brave, admirable, poised and bold character that she embodies elegantly.
The beauty in “God’s Country” juxtaposed against the ugliness of the antagonists is poetic and symbolic of the world we live in today; and silence, which is used as a powerful and nuanced communicative tool in the film, creates a pivotal space for this connection. What transpires in “God’s Country” is an unforeseen emotional experience that calls into question one’s moral code and what we think about our ethics. Co-written by Shaye Ogbonna and Higgins, the modern day western packs enormous grit and gusto— making it a stand-out film at this year’s Sundance festival.
Julian Higgins is a Los Angeles–based writer and director. His short films have screened around the globe and won dozens of prizes, including the gold medal Student Academy Award, two Student Emmy Awards, and the grand prize for Canon and Ron Howard’s Project Imaginat10n contest. His most recent short, Winter Light, was a top 10 finalist for the Academy Award.
Director: Julian Higgins
Screenwriter: Shaye Ogbonna, Julian Higgins
Producer: Miranda Bailey, Halee Bernard, Julian Higgins, Amanda Marshall
Executive Producer: Jason Beck, Anthony Ciardelli
Casting: Mark Bennett
Cinematography: Andrew Wheeler
Editor: Justin Laforge
Music: DeAndre James Allen-Toole
Principal Cast: Thandiwe Newton, Jeremy Bobb, Joris Jarsky, Jefferson White, Kai Lennox, Tanaya Beatty
