Children Of God

This film tackles the subject of gay rights and human behaviours in the beautiful Bahamas. Among the sunny background of this Caribbean paradise, there is a huge social and religious unrest. The film is a moving, thought-provoking, funny and brilliantly poetic love story of an artist and a closeted musician.

Johnny is an art student in Nassau whose technique is perfect, but he’s creatively blocked. His teacher sends him off to the rural island of Eleuthera where he meets Romeo, a hot musician. They begin a clumsy dance of attraction and romance. Romeo has a fiancé and is identified as straight, but he’s been known to play with the boys on the side secretly. The Bahamas are bound by religious traditions that discourage homosexuality and end up forcing gay men into the closet. Lena is a pastor’s wife. Her husband demonizes homosexuality to further his career, yet he is the one who plays on the side outside his marriage. When Lena discovers that her husband has infected her with STD, she redirects her marital fury into antigay verbiage and a flirtation with a more open-minded reverend. All these characters are all bound together in this intense drama of love, family and secrets.

The film is shot beautifully. Someone like me who has never visited or seen much of the Bahamas, it was a visual treat. Johnny acted his part very well of a white Bohemian art student who is constantly bullied by local black guys. This is not a story of race but a story of faith in identity and love. The romance between the 2 boys develops beautifully. But what surprises you is Lena. She acts her part with such conviction and honesty. In fact each character in the film resonates with authenticity.

Watch it for brilliant acting, visual treat and a story that simply touches you. (7/10)