God's Country (2022 film)

God's Country is a 2022 American thriller film co-written and directed by Julian Higgins, based on the short story "Winter Light" by James Lee Burke. The film stars Thandiwe Newton, Jeremy Bobb, Joris Jarsky, Jefferson White, Kai Lennox, and Tanaya Beatty. It had its world premiere in the Premieres section of the 38th Sundance Film Festival on January 23, 2022, and was released theatrically in United States on September 16, 2022.

Synopsis
While a police officer in New Orleans, the events of Hurricane Katrina convince Sandra to move with her mother to a remote and cold region of Montana, where she becomes a university professor. Once her mother dies, Sandra is left alone between the power dynamics of her college and the town. But it is a confrontation with two hunters trespassing on her property that ultimately pushes her own pain and growing anger to their limits. Limits where individual freedom and legal recourse meet American justice.

Release
The film had its world premiere in the Premieres section of the 38th Sundance Film Festival on January 23, 2022, at the Eccles Center in Park City, Utah. It was released theatrically in the United States by IFC Films on September 16, 2022,  and on VOD by IFC Video on October 4, 2022.

Box office
God's Country grossed $493,679 in the United States.

Critical response
Brian Tallerico of RogerEbert.com said, "It's a film that understands both form and content, merging the two in a story that feels less like a piece of suspenseful entertainment and more like a warning." Dennis Harvey of Variety said, "God's Country (the title of which hints at another running theme of faith and doubt) is admirable for avoiding caricature within conflict, and granting dramatic personae the depth to hesitate before giving in to their angriest first impulses."