Film Review: GOD’S COUNTRY: Unresolved Grief Leads to Tragedy All Around [Sundance 2022]

God’s Country Review

God’s Country (2021) Film Review from the 45th Annual Sundance Film Festival, a movie directed by Julian Higgins, starring Thandiwe Newton, Jeremy Bobb, Joris Jarsky, Jefferson White, Kai Lennox, and Tanaya Beatty.

This movie is about the attempt to outrun grief and disillusionment, and how it failed–as it usually does–for a displaced big city police officer.

Called a ‘fresh start’ for some, or a ‘geographical cure’ for others, it amounts to the same thing. Relocating to avoid dealing with a painful situation just means packing up the trash and taking it with you. Sandra Guidry (Thandiwe Newton) convinced herself that she wanted tenure as a public speaking instructor at a Montana college, but she was closer to the truth when she confided to the local sheriff that she was impressed by the majesty of the Rockies; in other words, everything that New Orleans was not. That is, after Katrina, which drowned the career that she loved and the city she called home.

The ensuing flood washed away Sandra’s mother’s steadfast belief that God would save them, something she was forced to deny as a Superdome refugee. Sandra shared her mother’s disillusionment, but for another reason: FEMA’s apparent lackadaisical and incompetent strategy. For Sandra, the trepidation soured into bitterness, and the panorama looked enough like God’s country for her needs. Not for Mom, though; she had passed away in a strange, vast, cold desert. Sandra was unable to bury her guilt along with her mother’s ashes. In reality, Sandra felt no less displaced than her mother.

The irony lies in the fact that Sandra knows from experience the necessity for de-escalation; it’s the first strategy for any seasoned police officer. At the end of the day, having hid the pain so well, especially from herself, from the start she was too hurt to consider other points of view, and finally unable to even listen to reason. Quite a one-eighty from the warm, reasonable college instructor she appears to be in the first several scenes. The cinematographer took full advantage of the primal beauty of Montana’s vistas at various times of day. Sandra said the same thing to the deputy, but its real appeal was the isolation; she took umbrage at any encroachment.

Here, then, is the real tragedy of the story. The first face-to-face encounter between Sandra and the Cody brothers, at least with older brother Nathan, was friendly enough. Older brother Nathan had no knowledge that his hot-headed brother Samuel had torn up a note Sandra had left on their truck. Evidently they had longstanding permission to park there while they hunted. Nathan was clearly the voice of reason of that pair. While Samuel itched for a fight, Nathan was ready to make peace, but the die had been cast. It was too late; the game was on. Now Sandra stood firmly on principle rather than property.

Sandra did make efforts to reach out to her opponents, but as a cop rather than a neighbor. She would only listen for concessions, and believe only admissions of guilt. Eventually her conflict with the Codys escalated, and she did what any law-abiding citizen would do: she called the law. Patiently, Deputy Gus Wolf (Jeremy Bobb) and her neighbor/department head boss, Arthur (Kai Lennox), tried to explain that the code of conduct necessary for city neighbors made little sense there in the Great Outdoors. But Sandra insisted on the letter of the law, as well loud confrontations with Arthur regarding injustices.

The continuing escalations on both sides, each with a point and ending in a stalemate, resulted in Sandra’s final revenge. For the first time in the movie, sitting on the porch, drinking a beer that Nathan had barely sipped, her expression betrayed something she hadn’t shown before: gratification.

The performances are uniformly excellent. The writing is lean and intelligent, with the themes sharply drawn. As a cautionary tale, this film would be in good company with Straw Dogs and House of Sand and Fog. As enjoyable and compelling as God’s Country is, its lessons are hard learned, and its intensity may not put one in the best of moods. As a cautionary tale with all of its misadventures in no uncertain terms, this film triumphs.

Rating: 8/10

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