George Washington

Starring: Candace Evanofski, Donald Holden, Damian Jewan Lee, Curtis Cotton III, Paul Schneider, Eddie Rouse, Ebony Jones, Rachael Handy
Directed by: David Gordon Green
Rating: Not rated
Genre: Drama
2000

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A group of kids in rural North Carolina experience joys, death, and love throughout a summer.

Review:

Tim: I was interested in seeing David Gordon Green's feature film directorial debut. I watched this film 25 years after its release. I found George Washington to be a unique, if flawed film- one that does a few things extraordinarily well, and features multiple indicators that Green might have a long career in Hollywood. The movie has some slow parts, a few odd ones, but overall, I think this is a good film.

What most impressed me about this film is that Green mostly grabbed non- actors for the roles, and then coaxes tremendous performances out of them. Numerous times through the film, I watched as non-trained, regular young kids gave surprisingly powerful performances. I couldn't believe it. How did Green accomplish this? This is the first and last time Donald Holden ever acted- and his George is stoic, yet fragile. He has great moments throughout this film. Curtis Cotton III had some brilliant moments as Buddy- I thoroughly enjoyed his performance. This was his first film, followed by only a short and a video, thirteen years later. Nothing else. Candace Evanofski had several believable, interesting conversations captured on film- she'd previously made one short film, and only did 1 television episode and 1 TV movie. Damian Jewan Lee was stunningly good- my heart went out to this character, and I loved the authenticity he brought to the movie. Lee was one of my favorite aspects of the entire film. This was his first time acting, and he only did a few other things after. Paul Schneider is great- he had acted in two short films before this, but he did go on to have a fairly successful Hollywood career. I'm just amazed at what Green did here, with so many young and inexperienced people. You would think it impossible for him to direct a movie so filled with drama as this one. Now, to be fair, yes, all these actors have moments where their inexperience shows, where their performances made me cringe. However, I fully expected to dislike 95% of their performances, when I actually liked 95% of it. Again, this is so, so impressive.

The story itself is interesting and unexpected. We follow this group of kids over the course of a summer- they live in a seriously economically depressed, rural North Carolina town. Their parents don't have short leashes- these kids wander and get into trouble with little supervision. We get to know these characters- charismatic Buddy, stoic George (with his weak cranium), large but kind Vernon, troublemaking Sonya (one of the weakest parts of the film, clearly). We see these characters in an authentic, raw light. Green isn't glamorizing this existence. As the story progresses, we feel for these kids- for what they are and what they could be had their life's circumstances been different. Green does an excellent job setting the stage here, but it's a tragic, unexpected event that changes all their lives forever.

It's hard to talk about these scene without SPOILERS, but I'll do my best. The big moment for these kids happens in such an unassuming way. It's a day like any other, moments like any other, when suddenly play turns tragic. Green films this in such a way that's vivid, shocking, and heartbreaking. That was the moment when this film really hit for me. I was stunned at the rawness, the unflinching approach to this scene. It felt cruel, to watch this happen to characters we were just beginning to understand. It's brilliantly filmed and unforgettable. The rest of the movie deals with this aftermath, and none of the characters respond exactly as I'd expect (especially George).

As much as I did like this movie and appreciate its different approach, Green does let multiple scenes linger too long. I was casually interested but not overly compelled throughout much of the story. I thought Green could have explored George a bit more- his reaction to the tragedy is fascinating, but Green's exploration is too understated. We needed to spend more time with him, to understand his psyche a bit more. Some of those scenes felt flat, so it's a bit hard to believe the whole hero subplot. I wish that aspect of the film had been tighter, but again, this is from a young director making his first feature film. It's more than understandable.

I always find directors' early works to be a fascinating study and George Washington is absolutely that for David Gordon Green. I do think today that Green is a hit-or-miss director. He's directed some great films, some good films, some decent movies, and at least one horrible film (Your Highness). His filmography is incredibly diverse, though. Watching this movie helps us understand him as a director. But, more than that- George Washington isn't just Green's first feature. It is an entertaining, heartbreaking, odd film that manages to stand on its own. Given the limitations of the cast and the small budget (I read that the production borrowed equipment from Dawson's Creek), it's incredibly impressive that a good film emerged from this process.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating- 7



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Joe