Is there any place better than the great outdoors to escape from everything? That’s the logic of Thandiwe Newton‘s grieving college professor in “God’s Country,” who heads out to Big Sky Country in Montana to mourn his mother’s passing. But when two hunters trespass on her property, Newton’s teacher finds herself less in the solace of nature than in an escalating battle of wills that leads to fatal consequences.
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Based on James Lee Burke‘s short story “Winter Light,” “God’s Country” marks the feature debut of Julian Higgins. But Higgins and co-writer Shaye Ogbanna make some big changes to Burke’s story in their adaptation. In Higgins’ version, she and Ogbanna change the protagonist from an older, retired white man named Roger to the forty-something professor Sandra. Their decision to do so is “born from the historical moment,” said Ogbanna. “[It] changed the entire subtext of the story,” she continued. “On the surface, Sandra is dealing with the same situation as the white male character from the short story, but the underlying social context and implications change completely.”
Alongside Newton, “God’s Country” also stars Jeremy Bobb, Joris Jarsky, Jefferson White, Kai Lennox, and Tanaya Beat.
“God’s Country” had its world premiere earlier this year at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival. Read our review of the film here.
Before “God’s Country” hits theaters on September 16, courtesy of IFC Films, check out an exclusive clip from the film below.