#relism

AFTER A THOUSAND YEARS

Dir. Francis Lee

Synopsis

A Yorkshire farmer is struggling to keep the family enterprise going as his father is unable through injury to provide much assistance. The son relieves the stress through excessive consumption of alcohol and strenuous gay sex until the arrival of a hired farmhand from Romania, with whom he falls in love.

What To Like

Engaging, gritty performances all round in what is, at heart, a traditional love story (boy meets boy, loses boy and then … well, that would spoil it for you!). Outstanding filmic feel with the camera capturing the gorgeous countryside of the Yorkshire Dales and the sheer grimy hard work that farm life demands.

Quibbles

The parallels with Brokeback Mountain (which was a far better movie) were unnecessary. I had a problem figuring out the elapsed time within the movie’s internal clock – it seemed too many events to have occurred within what appeared to be presented as a single week.

Rating: ***(*)

Recommendation