''Children of God'' is a 2010 Bahamian

romantic drama film Romance films or movies involve romantic love stories recorded in visual media for broadcast in theatres or on television that focus on passion (emotion), passion, emotion, and the affectionate romantic involvement of the main characters. Typica ...

by director and screenwriter Kareem Mortimer. It tells the story of two young Bahamian men who fall in love with each other, and it portrays the

homophobia Homophobia encompasses a range of negative attitude (psychology), attitudes and feelings toward homosexuality or people who are identified or perceived as being lesbian, gay or bisexual. It has been defined as contempt, prejudice, aversion, h ...

of the Bahamian society. The film also deals with themes of

bisexuality Bisexuality is a romantic or sexual attraction or behavior toward both males and females, or to more than one gender. It may also be defined to include romantic or sexual attraction to people regardless of their sex or gender identity, whic ...

, as a

. It is one of the first feature narratives from the

Caribbean The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean Se ...

to address

homosexuality Homosexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or sexual behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality is "an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexual attractions" to peop ...

. It was the opening night film of the

Bahamas International Film Festival The Bahamas International Film Festival (BIFF) is a non-profit film festival held in the Bahamas. Open to both locals and international visitors, the festival was founded by Leslie Vanderpool in 2004. BIFF also hosts a youth film workshop that a ...

. The Bahamas had banned the film ''

Brokeback Mountain ''Brokeback Mountain'' is a 2005 American neo-Western romantic drama film directed by Ang Lee and produced by Diana Ossana and James Schamus. Adapted from the 1997 short story of the same name by Annie Proulx, the screenplay was written by O ...

'' in 2006. The film made its International Premiere at the

Miami International Film Festival The Miami Film Festival (formerly Miami International Film Festival) is an annual film festival in Miami, Florida, that showcases independent American and international films with a special focus on Ibero-American films. The competitive film fest ...

and has premiered at over 100 film festivals around the world, winning 17 awards. ''Children of God'' was named one of the top ten films of 2010 on BET.com.

Plot

Jonny ( Johnny Ferro), an awkward painting student, is “banished” by his instructor to the remote island of

Eleuthera Eleuthera () refers both to a single island in the archipelagic state of The Commonwealth of the Bahamas and to its associated group of smaller islands. Eleuthera forms a part of the Great Bahama Bank. The island of Eleuthera incorporates the s ...

, to focus on his work and find his artistic voice. But first he finds Romeo ( Stephen Tyrone Williams), a handsome, self-confident guy who shows Jonny the scenic spots, and a bit more. Romeo's got a girlfriend, however, as well as a blustery mother who willfully ignores any clue or hint he drops to set her straight. Meanwhile, Lena (Margaret Laurena Kemp), a pastor's wife, has also made her way to this distant spot to contemplate her future in relative calm. Tired of her husband spouting high-and-mighty, anti-gay rhetoric at rallies while refusing to own up to the cruelty and contradictions in his private life, Lena has a decision to make. The phrase "Children of God" is the religious expression used by

Christians Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

to refer to human divinity as being all God's Children. Four Bahamian individuals set out on a journey from the frenetic energy of Nassau to the slower-paced and open Eleuthera. The year is 2004, when the Caribbean world is rocked by the emergence of

Rosie O'Donnell Roseann O'Donnell (born March 21, 1962) is an American comedian, television producer, actress, author, and television personality. She began her comedy career as a teenager and received her breakthrough on the television series ''Star Search'' ...

's gay family

cruise ship Cruise ships are large passenger ships used mainly for vacationing. Unlike ocean liners, which are used for transport, cruise ships typically embark on round-trip voyages to various ports-of-call, where passengers may go on tours known as "s ...

. Actual documentary footage details the mass hysteria that divides the Caribbean, as some fundamentalists lead widespread rallies. Jonny, a young, obsessive-compulsive white Bahamian artist, faces losing his scholarship at a local university if he does not live up to the potential his professors believe he has. Jonny escapes from his gritty inner-city life, in Nassau, to the under-populated and dramatic Bahamian island of Eleuthera. Here he decides to paint his 'masterpiece' and then gets killed by a closeted homosexual when Jonny was en route to meet Romeo. It could have had a happy ending. However, in this film, life does not have happy endings for many gays and lesbians. Lena Mackey is an extremely conservative forty-year-old, anti-gay activist who finds out that her husband is not who he represents himself to be. She believes that the only way to fix problems in her life is to limit the rights of homosexuals. She heads to Eleuthera for the purpose of galvanizing the community to oppose gay rights. When Jonny arrives, his and Lena's paths cross, and together these two embark on a series of physical and emotional adventures that not only inspire Jonny to paint, but also give him a new zest for life.

Cast

* Johnny Ferro as Jonny Roberts * Margaret Laurena Kemp as Lena Mackey * Stephen Tyrone Williams as Romeo Fernander * Van Brown as Reverend Clyde Ritchie *

Mark Richard Ford Mark may refer to: Currency * Bosnia and Herzegovina convertible mark, the currency of Bosnia and Herzegovina * East German mark, the currency of the German Democratic Republic * Estonian mark, the currency of Estonia between 1918 and 1927 * Finn ...

as Ralph Mackey * Craig Pinder as Mike Roberts * Sylvia Adams as Grammy Rose * Aijalon Coley as Omar Mackey * Jay Lance Gotlieb as Angry Driver * Jason Elwood Hanna as Purple * Christopher Herrod as Dr. Mark Wells * Juanita Kelly as Lonnette Adderley * Adela Osterloh as Romeo's Mother * Leslie Vanderpool as Rhoda Ritchie * Christine Wilson as Anna Ross * Conrad Knowles, Romeo's true friend

Release

''Children of God'' made its International Premiere at the

in March 2010. It had a limited theatrical release in May 2011 in New York and Miami. ''Children of God'' went on to premiere on the

Showtime Showtime or Show Time may refer to: Film * ''Showtime'' (film), a 2002 American action/comedy film * ''Showtime'' (video), a 1995 live concert video by Blur Television Networks and channels * Showtime Networks, a division of Paramount Global w ...

television network on June 2, 2010, and the DVD was released on June 7 through

TLA Releasing TLA Releasing is a US film distribution and production company owned by TLA Entertainment Group. In March 2011, a new LLC was formed for the operation. Its primary output is LGBT-related films from all over the world under the "TLA Releasing" lab ...

. Johnny Ferro won Best Actor at the

Out on Film Out on Film, Georgia's gay film festival in Atlanta, was established in 1987 and is one of the oldest gay film festivals in the United States devoted to the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community. The festival is now held in Midtown Atla ...

festival in Atlanta, Georgia, against runner-up

James Franco James Edward Franco (born April 19, 1978) is an American actor and filmmaker. For his role in '' 127 Hours'' (2010), he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor. Franco is known for his roles in films, such as Sam Raimi's ''Spider-Ma ...

(for ''Howl'').

Reception

''New York Times'' critic Jeannette Catsoulis found the film mediocre, with the characters standing for overly simplistic representatives of the films' ideas.

BET.com Black Entertainment Television (acronym BET) is an American basic cable channel targeting African-American audiences. It is owned by the CBS Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global via BET Networks and has offices in New York City, Los A ...

reviewer Clay Cane gave it a strongly positive review, praising the acting (especially Margaret Laurena Kemp as Lena) and the photography and technical excellence despite its low budget. ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' reviewer Boyd van Hoeij similarly praised its cinematography and the lead actors while also noting its "formulaic elements".van Hoeij, Boyd
"Children of God" (review)
''

'', May 10, 2010.

References

External links