Child of God
Description
A seething, snarling beast of a Cormac McCarthy adaptation, Child of God is the story of Lester Ballard (Scott Haze), a backwoods-dwelling resident of Sevier County, Tennessee, in the 1960s. Filthy and ostracized from society, Ballard roams the edge of town, occasionally getting in trouble with the bemused local sheriff (Tim Blake Nelson), who truly does not know what to make of the pariah. That routine changes when Ballard stumbles upon a pair of dead lovers and decides to take the woman back to his squalid abode and introduce her to his “friends.” Complemented by a muted color palette and sparse guitar and banjo score, Child of God is the rare adaptation that understands and serves the narrative austerity of its origins. Haze’s hypnotic central performance as Ballard is a triumph of raw emotive ferocity and kinetic primitivism. Polymath wunderkind James Franco (who, besides directing the feature, co-wrote the script with Vince Jolivette) ably handles the outrageous content of McCarthy’s story, transforming it into a film that is, by turns, bleakly funny and deeply harrowing. –Mike Keegan
In his 36 years on the planet Earth, Palo Alto native James Franco has acted in, among other things, a beloved cult TV show, a stoner comedy, a soap opera, a superhero series and an Altman movie. He’s hosted the Academy Awards and worn cornrows for Harmony Korine. Child of God is his latest feature film as a director. His next, Bukowski, comes out later this year. He is currently a PhD candidate at Yale University.
Trailer
//player.vimeo.com/video/91000654?autoplay=1Film Details
LanguageEnglish
Year2013
Runtime104
CountryUSA
DirectorJames Franco
ProducerCaroline Aragon, Vince Jolivette, Miles Levy
WriterJames Franco, Vince Jolivette
EditorCurtiss Clayton
CinematographerChristina Voros
MusicAaron Embry
CastScott Haze, Tim Blake Nelson, Jim Parrack, James Franco
Print SourceWell Go USA/ crystal@wellgousa.com