FFWD Weekly
Copyright © 2000. All Rights Reserved
Film
by Richard ZJesus’ Son
starring Billy Crudup, Samantha Morton and Holly Hunter
directed by Alison Maclean
opens Friday, July 28Jesus’ Son is an intriguing film. On the one hand, it’s a bonafide indie film which builds a loosely structured parable with an anti-hero protagonist; on the other hand, it tends to let things go way over-the-top for entertainment’s sake – a trick studio films employ knowing their subject matter is not strong enough to maintain an audience’s interest.
Billy Crudup (Princess Mononoke) is excellent as FH (Fuckhead), a drifter in the drug subculture of the 1970s. In episodic manner, FH burrows in and out of life experiences, meeting a slew of social misfits along the way including Michelle (Samantha Morton), a junkie with whom he falls in love. FH is just trying to make sense of the world, and anything goes (for example, he helps a friend gut a home, which his friend lost in a divorce, to retrieve enough copper piping to trade in for a night at the bar).
When Michelle gets pregnant, FH does the responsible thing and gets a job as an orderly in a hospital’s ER unit. Under the influence of the pal who landed him the job, FH swallows double the drugs he dishes out to patients. His rocky relationship with Michelle takes a dive and, eventually, FH leaves his former life behind and heads to Phoenix where he is lucky to land a job writing newsletters for a care home. Through compassion and the moral support of a rehab friend (Holly Hunter), FH slowly begins to rebuild his life and sense of purpose.
Jesus’ Son is full of memorable moments and wonderful performances – its characters are rich and varied. In a brilliant stroke of directing, Dennis Hopper and Hunter make notable appearances in subdued performances while all the other characters are over-the-top.
The screenplay is based on a collection of short stories of the same name by Denis Johnson. I’m not sure how many stories were combined to form one, but the baroque-style narrative ends up diminishing some of the power of the central idea. Much of the first third of the film is told in flashbacks-within-flashbacks and do nothing to enhance the story.
At fault for this is Canadian director Alison Maclean (Crush), who tries to chop things up for the sake of being quirky. However, Maclean more than makes up for this fault with her excellent use of the ensemble cast and by conjuring up some very striking images. One that is hard to shake involves Crudup casually pouring cereal in the morning, while Morton prepares to shoot up.
Jesus’ Son also has a wonderfully eclectic soundtrack which adds a twist to whatever visual it’s used for. Though not deeply provocative, the film does stir up a lot of philosophical issues. Unlike grotesque studio monstrosities (like The Green Mile), it finds meaning in life’s simple epiphanies without trying to shovel sanitized didacticism as fodder for the masses.
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