God’s Country

One reason I like Thandiwe Newton so much is that her attitude can concurrently represent violence and all-the-despair on earth. Watching her perform is a pure delight, especially if she is leading the scene. God’s Country, to me, happens to foster a scenic representation of alluring desolation that her character has to offer in a cinematic context— she and the environment we are talking about, are a great match in my opinion.

So to speak, I liked it. I liked them all— the cinematography, snowy environment, and especially, the slow-burning plot with a bit of violence, struggle, conflict, trauma, racism and social injustice.

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The movie starts with a slideshow of glorious white supremacy led me to think that it’s going to be another slavery-themed movie with endless oppression and nerve-wracking torture. But, no— it wasn’t. Although you will experience social classification based on skin colour, that’s not slavery but can be interpreted as a systematic way of exploitation.

There are two things that are dominant in God’s Country: Gender-based violence and Racism.

About the first one, the characters are mostly male, even in a family event, there are more males than the opposite gender. Well, this might seem nothing unusual but given the voice that dominates, it is evident that females are not entitled to raise their voice even if they are exploited physically. Interestingly, the male-dominant society is again divided into two terms— those with the law and lawlessness. While there are law-abiding citizens, a major group are unwilling to follow the rules. So, dominance goes in three ways. It clearly represents a society with uneven distribution of power, so, violence is imminent and you can experience that on every page of the movie.

The second attribute; racism— it’s too common yet masterfully masked under the act of civilised community people. Sandra, our lead character is the only black woman in a white-dominant society. Although she has made her place for her talent, she is often undermined for her being a different breed. Her opinions are not heard, nor they are given any attention for future reference. Like the unforgiving snowy environment, society is equally harsh towards her.

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The movie is suitable for those who enjoy a desolate context full of thrills and unexpected turns at every bend. But be warned of its slow plot— sometimes you may feel bored with nothing but everything about snow. Even though there are acts of violence, I mean real violence, they are too brief and mostly lack enough detail to reveal the real motif and resolution. Also, you may grow impatient towards the impotent law enforcement authority but given the context, I don’t know if it’s legit to even complain about it.

Overall, God's Country is worth giving it a try on a lazy afternoon or hazy morning. But if you don’t like it slow, you better try others.