Godless (2015) Reviews

• A for Acting

  dreed1212017-03-05

  Excellent film that stays with you long after by challenging a traditionally accepted taboo. The acting by Pitts and Jordan was spot on...and extremely convincing. So much so, that I was only disappointed in the script's ending which was rather unconvincing and fell back on usual expectations. Contrary to other review here..I did not think the film was too slow and the longish scenes really made me feel the depth of the material and very natural human responses - especially surrounding grief and loss. The brothers had so little connection with relatives and location that I could more believably have seen them relocate with the younger under a new name and passed off as partner rather than brother.. this would have really been the more courageous and interesting ending. I don't believe either brother was that concerned about conformity with social norms. What was convincing was the older brother's boyfriend's response: a typical nerdy scientific acceptance and calculation of win / lose game theory. Overall, loved this film!

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• Actors-10, Script and Direction-6

  ericbettelheim2016-06-27

  Thoroughly enjoyed this movie, but it was solely because of the performances of several of the actors. The script had some holes in it that could easily have been filled, and the pacing was DEADLY SLOW! About 15 minutes in, I realized it was a directorial choice, NOT a deficiency on the part of the actors. By picking up the pace, the movie could have been so much better. But, I got the feeling that the writer/director slowed the pace to fill the 90 minute run time. A much better choice would have been to flesh out the character of the Uncle, or the location of the gym (where Nate and Trent are personal trainers). Without giving away too much of the plot, the two main actors - Craig Jordan and Michael E. Pitts - play brothers who are much more than that. Told in partial flashback, their relationship is the central plot point. Both turn in good performances, but Craig Jordan as Nate is the most redeeming feature of the movie. His performance is nuanced and never crosses the line into pathos. The last 10 minutes of the movie are basically his, and while the final twist did not come as a surprise, I did find my heart pounding, waiting until the denouement. That is a tribute to his performance and his skill as an actor. I look forward to seeing much more of him (as an actor - he shows all there is to show in this film, but it is not gratuitous and central to the plot). Also worthy of mention are Garrett Young as Trent, and Michelle Gallagher and Joseph Aloysius McGinn as the mother and father. Michael E. Pitts as Nate's brother, Steven and Jefferson Rogers as Ray (and two other sides of the triangle) are natural in their roles, and completely believable. But without Jordan's performance, there is no movie.

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• Awesome Film

  jlnoyola172017-05-23

  This film took forbidden love to a whole new level. Godless (2015) has quickly become one of my favorite LGBTQ themed films. With outstanding acting from both leads. You could easily sense their conflict. The direction was spot on. The only downfall to the film was the ending. I'm sure it could be interpreted in many ways. Overall outstanding film. Definitely will keep you thinking.

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• Godless is a clear "10"

  johnfox-560422017-03-05

  The only movie that I have recently enjoyed as much as "Godless" (2015) is "Akron" (2015), which I recently reviewed on IMDb. Being addicted to happy endings, naturally I would like both movies - even though both are very different in look and pacing and place, but absolutely not different in their positive emotional impact. Godless is movie number 2,734 in my personal movie library; Akron is 2,731. And while I seldom ride consciously on the coattails of another writer or reviewer, I must agree almost completely with my fellow reviewer of "Godless" who stated in part, "Craig Jordan as Nate is the most redeeming feature of the movie," although all of the performances in "Godless" are on the money. Period. Full stop. So I salute absolutely Craig Jordan and Michael E. Pitts, but also notably Garrett Young, from whom I hope to see much, much more. My sole abjection to the previous review is related to pacing, described elsewhere as "DEADLY SLOW!". In my opinion, given the characters, plot, setting, cinematographic circumstances, and obvious directorial intent, the pacing of "Godless" is indeed slow, but the pacing of "Godless" is pure directorial genius, in my opinion. With the mandatory caveat that I do not do this very often, I give "Godless" the IMDd rating of 10. As a postscript, my long-time neighbor in what he calls "our sleepy Beverly Hills" has had an especially rewarding and lucrative career in the movie-making business hereabouts. So when I supplied him with a DVD of "Godless" and asked for his informed opinion about the totality of the production, the next evening he came over and said "first rate" and "top drawer" and agreed with my opinion of Joshua Lim's directorial genius. He also said that "Godless" is a jewel of a movie. And then he asked if I understood how hard it is for an actor to perform the understated character of Trent in the production, and how completely Garrett Young had precisely nailed all of the nuances of Trent. Of course I had to agree that Garrett Young was outstanding in his performance, and that I too hoped to see much more of him

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• I would have given it 10 stars if it had ended more honestly

  jcale12019-03-22

  Surprised and glad that a made in USA film touches such a taboo subject that most filmmakers would not dare to touch. Sad that although being an Indie film, the creators decided to give it a Hollywood morality lesson- reproving- do the right thing ending. I would have given it 10 stars if it had ended more honestly. I am used to unhappy endings, I am used to tragedies, I love Romeo and Juliet but given the strong love between the two main characters and not real obstacles, there is not a reason for the movie ending the way it does, like if the pain of the loss of such a beautiful love, forbidden by conventional society but still beautiful, could be relieved in a few minutes with a pill like if it was a simple headache. If you liked this movie, you should watch the Brazilian "From Beginning to End"

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