George Washington - 7

This is David Gordon Green's first film. He is a graduate of the North Carolina School of the Arts, and I reviewed his more recent film All The Real Girls (Which is a better film). This film is about four teenagers who live in a rural/industrial small town in North Carolina. It is summertime and the kids find random things to do. An accident midway through the film changes the children's lives as they learn about the harsh realities of life and death. The main character's idealism eventually leads him to become a local superhero trying to save people (in a wrestling singlet, a bedsheet, and a dog skin hat). The film uses non actors and tries to capture the mundaneness of everyday life. The (Criterion collection) DVD includes an interview of David Gordon Green on The Charlie Rose Show. It is informative about his style and the thinking that goes behind the making of his films.