“Lonely Country” by James Perry
Eugene lives a solitary life in a small town in rural Ontario. One night he pulls into a gas station to buy cigarettes and strikes up a conversation with Jack, a hitchhiker. When Jack inquires as to whether there might be a place he could spend the night, Eugene somewhat cautiously offers his home.
At the house Jack showers then joins Eugene in his room, where both will be staying. Jack continues their conversation and his questions become increasingly intimate. Eugene, emboldened by Jack's questions, leans in for a kiss. Jack retaliates angrily, attacking Eugene before robbing him and fleeing. The next day a neighbouring farmer finds Eugene in his home, battered from the attack. He and his wife nurse Eugene back to health. Shortly after, Eugene is seen addressing parishioners at his church, dressed in clerical robes.
FROM THE DIRECTOR
“You’re in lonely country now, Miss Dashwood. We, none of us, have any secrets here. And if we do, we do not keep them long.” (Sense & Sensibility)
“There is a sort of collective memory that exists in rural communities. Information gets recycled through generations and what starts as local gossip evolves into local lore. My family comes from such a community; a small, predominantly agricultural island on the Canadian side of Lake Ontario. I’ve often heard these stories mentioned anecdotally, dropped into the middle of conversations. One such story, about a man and a sailor, became the genesis for Lonely Country. The dominant narrative surrounding rural queerness in cinema is one of escape, in which queer characters fulfill their destiny when they outgrow their given community and seek greener, more metropolitan pastures elsewhere. This narrative falls short to me. Queerness has always existed, and continues to exist, within rural spaces. Even in times before a visible queer community could safely, visibly exist anywhere, queer people were respected members of rural communities. Their queerness may not have had a name or a common language. It may have manifested in more discreet forms, but it was present. I wanted to pay homage to the queer people who chose not to leave their communities and to the communities that included them, even if by turning a blind eye.”
-James Perry
CREDITS:
Starring
Antoine Guimbal/ @tony_beans
Euan Lathrop/ @caviarantichrist,
Conrad Bergshneider
Elizabeth Barr/ @ebarr93
Director, Writer & Executive Producer// James Perry/ @james27perry
Producer// Siân Lathrop
Executive Producer// Camila Grimaldi/ @Camilagrimaldi_
Director of Photography// Cece Chan/ @cecechxn
1st Assistant Director// Tessa Oxtoby/ @tessaoxtoby
Production Designer// James Perry/ @james27perry
Art Director// Theo Kingdom/ @analogbandit
Editor & Score// Patrick Drummond/ @patr1ckdrum
Sound Designer// Michael Kalman/ @_dinosaur_jr
Colourist// Zack Chalmers/ @zakchalmers
Script Supervisor// Isabella DiBernardo/ @isabellaadibernardo
Costume Design// Elizabeth Barr/ @ebarr93
Hair & Makeup// Kathleen Matthews/ @katmatthews
1st Assistant Camera// Samuel Wilde/ @chenesauvage
2nd Assistant Camera// Lucy Blumenfield/ @lucyblumenfield
Gaffer// Josh Sheehan/ @sheehan.josh
Key Grip// Parker Renaud/ @parker_renaud
Boom Operator// Adam Kenter
Production Assistant// Lily Hobson/ @lilyyhobson
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