God's Country (2022)

God's Country (2022). God's Country: Directed by Julian Higgins. With Thandiwe Newton, Dan Gravage, Aakii, Tanaya Beatty. When a college professor confronts two hunters she catches trespassing on her property, she's drawn into an escalating battle of wills with catastrophic consequences.

“Greetings again from the darkness. Do you ever have that feeling that if no oneu0026#39;s going to do something then u0026quot;I guess I willu0026quot;? These days it seems our systems and institutions are failing us, and thatu0026#39;s at the heart of what is eating at Sandra (Thandiwe Newton), a college professor living in a remote house in the mountains. When the film opens, she is at the crematorium for her recently deceased mother. Soon after, two hunters park on her land, and their reactions after she politely asks them not to, tells us where this story is headed.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eWriter-director Julian Higgins and co-writer Shaye Ogbanna never give Sandra (or us) any reason to think everything is going to be just fine. Itu0026#39;s a slow-burn towards disaster, and we canu0026#39;t help but watch to see how bad situations turn worse and how the conclusion plays out. Violence is expected … especially after we see how ineffective the local acting Sheriff (Jeremy Bobb) is at his job.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe u0026quot;chaptersu0026quot; in this story are actually the days numbered so that we can keep up with the tension. A red truck, an arrow in the door, a police report, a faculty meeting, a church organist, and the disclosure by a student (Tanaya Beatty) all lead us to the dreaded seventh day. The stress builds for Sandra, who manages to hold her tongue quite often, right up until she doesnu0026#39;t. Itu0026#39;s clear to us that sheu0026#39;s carrying a bitterness and a chip … and seeking vengeance. Itu0026#39;s easy for us to emphasize with Sandra in the first two acts, though itu0026#39;s likely many will join me in being a bit disappointed in the final act.”