Josh O'Connor might be booked and busy these days, having just starred in Steven Spielberg's Disclosure Day and recently in Rian Johnson's Wake Up Dead Man, but there's one performance that helped put him on the map all the way back in 2017 - and you can now watch this stunning queer drama for free if you're in the UK.
Two years before he joined Netflix's behemoth biopic The Crown, O'Connor starred in Francis Lee's independent drama God's Own Country, which won the World Cinema Directing Award at Sundance Film Festival 2017.
O'Connor plays a young Yorkshire sheep farmer, Johnny Saxby, whose life is forever changed by the arrival of a Romanian migrant worker, Gheorghe Ionescu (Alec Secăreanu), who is hired to help during lambing season.
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The romantic relationship that develops is tested by betrayals and the strain of running the farm, with the two men reassessing their biases and views on class and masculinity as their bond grows.
God's Own Country marked a promising directorial debut for Lee, who went on to direct another queer romance in Ammonite, starring Kate Winslet and Saoirse Ronan.
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Who stars in God's Own Country?
• Josh O'Connor as Johnny Saxby
• Alec Secăreanu as Gheorghe Ionescu
• Gemma Jones as Deirdre Saxby
• Ian Hart as Martin Saxby
• Harry Lister Smith
• Melanie Kilburn
• Liam Thomas
• Patsy Ferran
• Moey Hassan
• Naveed Choudhry
• Sarah White
• John McCrea
What did critics say about God's Own Country?
Lee's debut feature holds a near-perfect critic score on Rotten Tomatoes, where it's Certified Fresh with a rating of 98% out of 131 reviews.
Metro called the movie "unmissable" in a quote included in the film's trailer, while the San Francisco Chronicle hailed it as a "universal tale about giving yourself over to love, even when you seem hopelessly broken".
The New York Times wrote that the film "weaves a rough magic from Joshua James Richards's biting cinematography and the story's slow, unsteady arc from bitter to hopeful", with The Irish Times also branding God's Own Country "magical".
O'Connor and Secăreanu's turns as Johnny and Gheorghe were praised as "aching" (via Boston Globe) and "stirring" (via The Hollywood Reporter).
Where can I watch God's Own Country?
After all this build-up, you might be asking where you can catch God's Own Country. If you're based in the UK, the film is now streaming for free on ITVX.
It is also available to rent and buy on platforms including AppleTV and BFI Player.
Other Josh O'Connor films you can stream right now
Once you've watched God's Own Country, there are a few O'Connor's films you can stream across several platforms.
Head to Netflix to watch the actor's commanding turn as Father Jud in Rian Johnson's Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery.
Kelly Reichardt's latest, The Mastermind, starring O'Connor as a small-time art forger alongside Alana Haim is currently available on Mubi.
Finally, one of O'Connor's best films, Alice Rohrwacher's La chimera, is available to stream for free on BBC iPlayer.
God's Own Country is streaming on ITVX.
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Reporter, Digital Spy
Stefania is a freelance writer specialising in TV and movies. After graduating from City University, London, she covered LGBTQ+ news and pursued a career in entertainment journalism, with her work appearing in outlets including Little White Lies, The Skinny, Radio Times and Digital Spy.
Her beats are horror films and period dramas, especially if fronted by queer women. She can argue why Scream is the best slasher in four languages (and a half).
