George Washington (DVD, 2002, Criterion Collection)

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David Gordon Green makes a stunning directorial debut with GEORGE WASHINGTON, a highly poetic drama that tells the story of the inhabitants of a small, impoverished southern town. Focusing on a group of five adolescent friends--George (Donald Holden), Nasia (Candace Evanofski), Buddy (Curtis Cotton III), Vernon (Damian Jewan Lee), and Sonya (Rachel Handy)--Green uses the town's barren landscape to provide a bleak, yet beautiful, backdrop for their day-to-day lives. After Nasia breaks up with Buddy for George, an introverted youth with an extremely sensitive fontanel, tragedy strikes and the friends are forced to come to terms with the situation. The resulting internal struggles send each individual into a search for redemption in intensely personal, yet very different, ways.Green's film is reminiscent of Terrence Malick's DAYS OF HEAVEN in its potent blend of naturalistic acting, lush photography, and nostalgic voice-over. The 24-year-old shows a maturity that many older directors rarely attain. It is this overriding optimism that makes it such an uplifting moviegoing experience, even amidst such somber circumstances. Also, there is an understated humor--most notably in Paul Schneider's portrayal of Rico Rice--that keeps matters hopeful throughout. GEORGE WASHINGTON is an honest, thoughtful, and deeply transcendent motion picture.