Children of God (2010) User Reviews (17)

much more than you might expect

[Radu_A · 7/10 · 6 October 2011]

Is it that people are disappointed in the lack of sex or why is this pretty amazing first gay feature film from the Caribbean so much panned?

It's not the gay love story that's at the center here, but pseudo-Christian homophobia, and I would venture to say that no film has so far taken this issue to such lengths. True, that makes for a bulky watching experience, what with the issues all the characters have: The fag-hating preacher who is a closeted homosexual himself, his STD-infected wife who diverts her doubts into anti-gay action, the sensitive painter, the free-and-easy closeted opportunist... it really feels like a play, but quite intentionally so.

And none of these characters are so far away from reality - if you're from a hyper-Christian environment, then you will know for a fact how much hypocrisy and denial they endorse... a lot of preachers in my native Romania talk just as hateful as those in this film, and a lot of them are likely to be closeted homosexuals themselves.

'Children of God' is less of a story than a statement, so don't watch it if you're asking for serious character development or story structure in a film. However, if you're wondering how the equal rights issue can be addressed in an environment where PC doesn't protect you, then this is your film.

Beautiful and touching, sometimes disturbing.

[biguynwar · 8/10 · 20 September 2012]

I'd read reviews elsewhere that were mostly high in praise of this movie, so I ordered it. I really liked the Bahamian life shown as it is away from the casinos and cruise ship areas. The acting was good, especially by the two leading guys, Johnny Ferro and Stephen Tyrone Williams. There is a great progression of self-understanding in short order. Photography and filming was very good, including beautiful scenery. Editing was good too, with excellent continuity. The music was a treat. It seemed to also be Bahamian. I'll be looking for more from these actors and director. I definitely recommend this movie and am glad to own a copy.

This is not exclusively a Gay Flick- This is a story about lives,.. A bit of a heart breaker,.. But worth a viewing

[Nek_bbew · 7/10 · 5 September 2012]

Okay,.. Not every film featuring a Gay person needs to have a Gay sex scene. Now that that's out of the way,....

This is a great movie. It is not an entertaining stereotypical flick. This film is not just about a Gay couple.

This addresses a country and it's people. It addresses people and relationships - all types.

There are moments where everyone will relate,.. And some where you won't. It doesn't jerk at your heart,... It doesn't leave you all warm and fuzzy,... But it is a great story.

For those that demand it follow some pitiful story line or match up to so something that it isn't ,... Shame on you. You take a movie and review it,..

I liked it,.. And would encourage others to see it. It might just open a new train of thought in your noggin,...and who knows,..broaden your mind.

Johnny Ferro makes it worth watching

[jm10701 · 13 July 2011]

Children of God is the feature-length expansion of a short movie called Float, about an uptight young gay white guy (Johnny) and a laid-back, mostly straight black guy (Romeo) who hook up in the Bahamas, where they both are natives. It was made by the same writer/director as Float and stars the same actor (Stephen Tyrone Williams) in the role of Romeo.

It differs from Float primarily in three ways: a different actor plays Johnny; a parallel story of an intensely homophobic woman and her lying preacher husband is added; and the ending is changed. Only the first of those changes is an improvement.

Johnny Ferro (playing Johnny) is gorgeous, charismatic, sensitive, sweet, shy, brooding, and very, VERY sexy; so it is totally believable that anyone on earth would fall for him. (The huge flaw in Float was that the poor actor who played Johnny was none of the above.) The story between Romeo and Johnny is practically identical to Float, and adding Johnny Ferro really makes it shine.

But the side story of the lying preacher is just too corny and overwrought to believe. It doesn't fit with the Romeo/Johnny story at all, so it is only an annoying distraction. And the ending is just as bad: forced, clumsy, and painfully predictable all at the same time. The director should have cast Johnny Ferro in Float and stopped there, or remade Float with the vastly improved Johnny.

Float with the right Johnny would be a lovely gem, but Children of God just does not work. However... I have never seen Ferro anywhere before, so just for introducing him to the world I gladly give this movie five stars. Except that Johnny Ferro is not in it, Float is a better movie.

Trouble in Paradise

[jz-10 · 7/10 · 29 November 2013]

In spite of the tremendous advances in gay rights in many countries in recent years, homophobia is actually intensifying in many place. While first and foremost a beautiful and tender personal drama, Children of God is also a study of anti-gay intolerance in the Bahamas.

The main story is about Johnny, a gay art student who's so broken that he can no longer express his feelings on canvas, can't defend himself even verbally, and can't even touch another human being. Faced with losing his art scholarship, his teacher directs him to spend a few days on the island of Eleuthera to reconnect with nature, and hopefully his own artistic spirit. There he meets the aptly-named Romeo, who helps him to discover hope, trust, and love.

The second-most prominent story, which lightly touches Johnny's, is that of Ralph and his family. Ralph is a vehemently anti-gay preacher with a secret, driven to stage anti-gay rallies. Lena, his wife, learns she has acquired an STD from him. When she tries to find out what he's done, he turns on her, and to cope, she buries herself even more deeply in his "Save the Bahamas" campaign, hoping to find solace in certainty. In turn, she unwittingly bullies her young son, who becomes afraid that he might be go to hell if he does something "sissy."

Children of God isn't perfect. Some of the meetings toward the end seem somewhat forced, and religious dialogue, always difficult to handle well, doesn't sound quite as natural as it did in, say, Wise Kids. And some of Johnny's quirks seem implausible; how can you have sex if you're afraid to shake hands? The most serious flaw is a character named Purple who has no development. The movie would be improved omitting him and rewriting the ending.

Yet for all this, it's a very good film. If you don't need Hollywood CGI explosions, and can enjoy small stories of the heart, you'll enjoy Children of God.

Children of God is Outstanding. Stephen Tyrone Williams is a find. Bravo to all involved.

[olearytko · 9/10 · 19 May 2011]

Originally a wonderful short movie called FLOAT, CHILDREN OF GOD is a moving, thought-provoking, funny and brilliantly poetic love story. Set in the idyllic world of the Bahamas, a blocker painter (Johnny Ferro) searches for inspiration for his painting but instead finds inspiration in the arms of another lost soul (Stephen Tyrone Williams). Director Kareem Mortimer has set this beautiful story in an island paradise. But the characters he has created keep finding ways to keep paradise from coming true for them. The acting in this movie is revelatory. All of he performances are top notch, especially those by Johnny Ferro, Stephen Tyrone Williams and Margaret Laurena Kemp. The camera especially loves the beautiful and sensuous Stephen Tyrone Williams. This movie is a work of art that should be seen by everyone. Bravo to all involved.

i didn't want the movie to stop

[patrick-verdoolaeghe · 10/10 · 31 January 2014]

Ooooh i so enjoyed this movie. Everything about it was wonderful. Love the actors, black and white. Love the melancholy in everything you see. Love the beautiful scenery of the Bahamas's and really loved the music in the back. This movie has so many dimensions. It is a love story but it is also a statement that shows that homophobia is harmfull for the people we love and that gay people are everywhere.

Being gay i could really relate to Johnny because i now how it feels to be left out. So that performance was really convincing. The role of Romeo was also pretty convincing. I've learned that there are gay people acting like they are straight around others but when you are alone with them they hit on you.

The only thing i hate in gay movies overall is that the gay character always dies in the end. That is so cliché and it spoiled the fun.... a bit. Because all the other things are sublime i forgive the director for this bit.

Overall it is a very good movie and one of my recent favourite gay flicks. I would certainly recommend it to anybody who loves a gay romance movie or people who need to open their minds about the gay topic. Well done!!!!!

One scene destroyed the entire movie!

[dkm1981 · 1/10 · 11 April 2022]

Having just re-watched this to give it a second chance I have to say I still hate it!

It could have been amazing and there were some great scenes, sadly these wasn't enough of them and the characters were not rounded out much beyond the stereotypical. The whole thing just seemed to suffer from a lack of thought and planning, not helped by having a seemingly bi-polar main character who one minute is shy, quiet and nervous then suddenly possesses the biggest pair of balls knows to man in how he stands up to people.

The film sets out to portray the Caribbean as region occupied mainly by bigots who use religion to rabble rouse a culture of hate and fear to drive home their homophobic message. This is fair enough, but if that is the case, why make the movie at all if you are going to kill off the main character just as the ending is pointing towards something brighter and more hopeful. I would have given it 5 or 6 out of 10 were it not for that one moment. It just made the rest of the movie completely pointless.

I really don't understand why so many gay movies have to end with either a death, tragedy or the main protagonists going their separate ways. I know that not every LGBT movie can end on a positive, I totally get that but what I don't get is why so few do? What is the problem that gay film makers have that every once in a while they can't give the viewer a reason to be happy and to give them that positive ending. Are they incapable? It's got to be good for the mental health in a world where being gay can sometimes be hard enough.

Instead we are repeatedly subjected to this!

A Good One!

[with_blackstars · 8/10 · 29 August 2013]

In the category where almost every movie ends with a suicide or a killing (if its not a comedy),this movie is no different!But it however is a better one! The story revolves around a 20-something white Bahamian gay guy named Johnny (Johnny Ferro),who along with suffering from not being able to accept who he is also faces other problems,no acceptance from the society for instance.He is sent off to an island for an art project by his teacher who believes a journey can help improve his grades,and also help him,where he meets a cute guy named Romeo (Stephen Tyrone Williams),who wants to help him in his art project and after a rough start they finally hit off.After spending some intimate time together,it is revealed that Romeo is a closeted gay guy,and ends up insulting Johnny in front of his girlfriend bringing things to an end. Meanwhile,a hypocrite gay priest's wife,Lena,tries to pass a legislation in the parliament against gay rights,played by Margaret Laurena Kemp,who is also abused by her closeted husband. Further along the road,Romeo stands up for himself in front of his family and realizes he was wrong to Johnny.The story ends with the murder of Johnny,who is on his way to meet Romeo,by being stabbed by a bully.

The overall production is above average,and the only acting worth mentioning would be of Johnny Ferro's.The movie depicts what is going on in most parts of the world and how most of the times,the victims end up being losers.It does leave you thinking to say the least.The movie does get slow in between and you just want to get things going,but it does hold you at the same time.

I would recommend this!

Two young gay men in the Bahamas go home together but fail to have sex because one of them can't accept himself.

[luckystar1235 · 1/10 · 12 February 2011]

The characters in this film are all one-dimensional. They are divided into hateful bigots and joyous but equally obnoxious life force characters. And they constantly make speeches at each other. The only exception is the artist hero who is monosyllabic and apparently brain dead (only because he's repressed). Of course, he is redeemed in the end by the joyous life force guy. Why can't people in gay film fest pictures speak and act like real people? Everyone in this toothache of a cookie cutter gay film fest feature acts like he's on stage. How anybody could confuse this affliction with a good movie beats me. Only for the least discriminating of gay film fest attendees. Its IMDb may have something to do with the director's friends and relatives who seem to be legion.

An intense story in an exotic country

[Gordon-11 · 24 September 2016]

This film tells the story of a shy white guy in Bahamas, who is bullied and outcast because of his homosexuality. He meets a handsome man during a trip to find inspiration for his paintings, and his life is changed forever.

It is probably the first time that I watch a film from the Bahamas, and I am fully blown away. First, the technical aspects are great. I can see they used really good equipment. The picture quality is sharp, and the shot of the moon is just so clear. The lens just for that shot must have cost a fortune! Second, the story is very intense. There are two stories, one main story about the white guy, and the other story about the church clergyman. These subplots dive deep into a land where being gay is hard. The active homophobia spread by some sectors of the society shatters lives in paradise. As one of the characters say, he spreads homophobia because it gives people a reason to unite. It is very sad but true.

I truly enjoyed watching "Children of God"". I have not expected the level of complexity and depth shown in this intense film, and I really hope it will find more audiences.

An ambiguous message (if any) & some bad PR for the Bahamas!

[johannes2000-1 · 5/10 · 9 August 2012]

This movie left me in doubt as to the intentions of the maker. You can see it as a love story against the romantic background of the Bahamas, a coming-of-age of a shy and troubled young man that struggles with his sexuality, and is helped and liberated by a more experienced and relaxed lover. But there's also a rather negative side to this movie, with some pretty harsh and heavy issues: the religious and cultural bigotry on the Bahamian islands; the abuse of women; discrimination; and gay bashing (to extreme extent).

The acting is overall fine and convincing, especially by the supporting cast. I also liked one of the two protagonists Stephen Tyrone Williams, acting very natural and having both charisma and an appealing physique (not unimportant in the story). But I had some reservations about Johhny Ferro as the other main character Johnny. Script and direction probably wanted to emphasize his supposed shyness, but as a result he appears not to act at all, he just stands about, looking vexed all of the time (even during his one love-scene) and only speaking with a monotonous almost trembling voice. Add to this his rather plain looks and skinny frame, which may give him a puppy-like cuteness, but it still impressed me as a miracle (and as totally unrealistic) that this athletic cool and relaxed Romeo should even look twice at him, let alone lust after him.

Johnny's character is supposed to undergo some sort of positive Werdegang: an evolution from neurotic and sexually insecure recluse to a more self-assured being, but the movie never gives us real proof of this. When Johnny in the end stands up in a crowded preaching-house to confront the woman who raves against homosexuals, it looks like a very brave thing to do, but the script only makes him say platitudes, like "Why don't you leave us alone?" and "He who is without sin casts the first stone". When Johnny speaks to Romeo for the last time, he just lets Romeo go on and on with excusing himself, and never confronts him with his inconsistency and hypocrisy. And when in the very end Johnny finally stands up to some of his old bashing tormentors, again he only gets to use cliché like: "you just compensate for your small dick". Not much of a catharsis there. And then this costs him dearly, which again makes you wonder what the message of the writer/director is. Feels a bit like: don't bother, you never can win.

Another disappointment to me was the presentation of the Bahama's, one of the supposed great romantic places of the world. All we get to see of the beauty of it is one scene at the beach where Romeo and Johnny snorkel together. For the rest we see endless dusty roads, little dilapidated houses, ugly beach-sides and some local bars. What a waste!

All in all an unbalanced movie with an ambiguous message (if any) and a depressing lasting impression. Oh, and rather bad PR to the Bahamas, I would say. I'm gay and love to travel to sunny shores, but this movie made me see that for gay people the Bahamas are the last place to go to for a holiday.

A Good Attempt...But Just Odd

[Coralknight · 5/10 · 14 November 2017]

It's rare that we get a glimpse into the various social strata of Bahamanian life, so this film had an immense amount of promise to it. However, the overall acting and situations were just a bit too "out there" to be believable. Yes, I'm sure there are closeted preachers and thugs who prey upon the fears of gays by day and prowl for men at night. But the depths of the hatred from these characters in the film made them seem more like villainous caricatures than 3-dimensional people. But I'm giving 5 stars for effort, as well as the allusions the film made towards spirituality and the afterlife...the only non-preachy part about this film that respectfully and intelligently left it up to the viewer to decide.

Children of God a drama worth watching

[wildlime · 7 August 2011]

I wouldn't say that acting is the best I have seen but the characters are believable and heartfelt.

Tyronne Willaims and Johnny Ferro on screen paint a picture of finding ones self and falling in love.

Some of the story is predictable but not less of a great movie.

There are moments in this movie that gave me goosebumps like the dancing scene with no music. You could feel some raw emotion.

The movie go's at a quite a slow pace but is very entertaining.

The mixture of lives unfolding on a beautiful paradise islands let me watch this movie with ease.

There is a moment in the movie that all people dread when Tyronne's family arrives to find out he is not who is expected to be.

I don't want to give away too much.

But if your in the mood for drama and your not to adverse to Gay themes. This is a great movie with some great performances.

A very sad attempt for what could have been a great movie

[badttboy · 1/10 · 1 October 2012]

The Good; Lead actor is cute. A refection of how homophobia is alive in the Caribbean and fueled by religious hypocrisy. The Bad; The lead actor is obviously not gay and uses that to show a character who has so many odd personal issues. But all of his issues are inconsistent, ironic and for that cause very unrealistic in his bi-polar behavior (one minute he is timid and the next he is outspoken). Film starts with a white boy who is not privileged (and expressively so), from school situation to housing and the next he has a car and money to get around a pay a tour guide. Really!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The conclusion was a cop out that lacked creativity and imagination.

I can understand a film being rushed for budget purposes, but time should be taken to rewrite and put a story together as a package before filming and not be a bunch of conflicting scenarios just to make a point. Did anyone bother to read and try to make sense of the whole script before committing to it?

A cornucopia of hatred, homophobia, hypocrisy, and violence

[Orpheus_Dude · 2/10 · 3 May 2020]

I kept a list while watching. I never though it would be possible to compress so much severe physical violence against men, women, and children; constant verbal abuse; raging communal homophobia; verse-shrieking biblical preaching; unwatchable homicidal violence (that at least one person will be killed is obvious within the first minutes of the movie); parental abuse; anti-white racial bigotry; utter stupidity; and a plethora of hypocrisy and hatred into 100 minutes (add 4 minutes for the credits).

On the plus side there are some nice land and seascapes, one or two minutes of enjoyable storytelling, and an excellent breakout performance by Johnny Ferro. For him I can squeeze out two points for the least enjoyable, least informative, and least entertaining movie I have ever seen.

Children of Sitcom

[sandover · 25 December 2010]

I am not aware how strong is the state of repression and bigotry that governs or not Caribbean societies, but the director and writer of this film is a Bahamian; it is then a shame that the way he addresses these issues derives from a sitcom approach. This is enough to stall matters into a regressive political state.

The boys share a nice dance, and dancing the way they do it, popping out of bed instead of doing the sex routine, and do "how they feel like", as one of the two admonishes, is something we do not come to expect from gay themed movies. This much is true. It is also true that the soundtrack is good, but it is like it does all the work that should be put into a more cinematic approach.

The stories do not interconnect, they are left on the device of some sort of nebulous plea that should run by itself. And then, at the film's final spin, the script abandons its spine for an unabashed melodramatic, quasi-metaphysical last seal that brings the house down.

We then gather lines spoken before that foreground that sentimentalized last installment that comes out of and into the blue. This is bad, and it is a pity because the two leads are good, though Jonny Ferro is better by far.

And then the summer-drenched cinematography proves that colors only are God's children in this film, and humans fail to connect with them, unless it is at the moment of their death. This does not sing the blues, it is just irrelevant.