Searching for the South in 'Wrong-Eyed Jesus'
Searching for the South in 'Wrong-Eyed Jesus'
Musician Jim White leads director Andrew Douglas through the sometimes mysterious South. Andrew Douglas hide caption
Musician Jim White leads director Andrew Douglas through the sometimes mysterious South.
Andrew DouglasFrom 'Wrong-Eyed Jesus'
'The Last Kind Words,' by David Johansen and Larry Saltzman
'My Sister's Tiny Hands,' by The Handsome Family
'Still Waters,' by Jim White
British director Andrew Douglas, who went 'Searching for the Wrong-Eyed Jesus.' Andrew Douglas/Courtesy Andrew Douglas hide caption
British director Andrew Douglas, who went 'Searching for the Wrong-Eyed Jesus.'
Andrew Douglas/Courtesy Andrew DouglasWhat happens when a British director known for making TV commercials and an American songwriter named Jim White get together to make a documentary about life on the backroads of the deep South?
A film called Searching for the Wrong-Eyed Jesus.
White borrows a rusty 1970 Chevy Impala from a friend — for a price — and heads off down a country road, waxing philosophical all the way. Odd, random developments follow, cast against southern gothic scenes — lush, green swamps, fishing shacks and even a ghostly junkyard full of abandoned school buses. All is interspersed with gritty music from a variety of contemporary southern artists.
The way it all comes together prompts questions about the nature of the documentary genre. Director Andrew Douglas offers his thoughts on a variety of related subjects in a conversation with Debbie Elliott.