In the glooms of the still river we go through the tree shadows filtering the sun and in a surreal motion of imagery we see a dog and a boy staring as some one would towards a stranger. It is blurry on the thoughts but clear on its picture accompanied by song “Still Waters” so appropriate, spelling it poetic is not the proper justice one does in a review. We see a lonely guitarist taking himself from the shores of that dense lake off to a car shop which the people in “Deliverance” would dare to go. There he rents a 1971 Chevy rusted, bolted but strong in pieces and drives us to the South. The guitarist is an artist named Jim White in this avant garde documentary look on the South of the US.Southern US is a richly conservative, religious and seclusion of a kind many in the modern times have a fear to be associated. Jim White who grew up in Pentecostal family shares his experiences, visions and acknowledging terms he has come up with this culture really vibrant, rich and a lot scary too. His album “Wrong Eyed Jesus (The Mysterious Tale of How I shouted” became the search of this peculiar kind of music which made the director and a spectacular photographer Andrew Douglas to venture on this film.
We hear stories, a lot of stories from people in the interior depths of the South and every single story has god attached to it, admiringly, cautiously, fearfully and horrifically. It is a film about a culture. Some might like it, some might not and it is a solid head or tail situation if you are out there. Regardless of one’s beliefs, it is the ambience it poses. The photography becomes the element in providing that surreal nature of the world it gives upon. It is enchanting to see the people passionate about their belief in extreme ways. It is down right crazy and fearful many times but you see the people in it. And the tragedy, happiness and the life altering event that has moulded them. Seldom does one see the person behind the talk of religion. It is either an encompassing embrace or a disgust of lowering oneself to something politically wrong.
While looking at this culture is a strange experience, this feeling of being in a small town or group or religion is abundant in India or to be precise the least of India I have seen. You travel through the villages and the people in it. You ask the routes to a stranger. And you form a bond for that moment, friendliness unexplainable. The person of characters in each of those places becomes your memorabilia of your vacation, even the bad ones and especially the bad ones. United States of course would have that but not the strangeness one would get in India. You lose the communication within different cities and completely crossing states. It is tough but that is the fun in travelling. This part of US though is the talked about but not ventured upon thing to look on as a culture in an objective form.
The film has minimal scenes of small orchestration in the form of music video when the artists play their songs, which are not out of place and elevate something sensual hidden in these viscous frames. What does the film wants to see upon? Unlike any documentary it has no agenda of making you root for or against anything and especially to do something on a region which is seen and of course is a strongly Christian is something of an achievement. But it is not a documentary of the regular feat rather it is a feature film of its own realm. If Jim Jarmusch takes documentary, then this would be it.
Jim White converse in poems and the fable saying we have all been hearing. It sounds so much simple and so much truth in it. The people in the film and the region are mostly hardcore religious. And you wonder what the film is preaching and then it films inmates confessing of their boredom pushing them off limits. Andrew Douglas gives a region so negated in a form one would see it for what it is. Yes they are secluded and have a territory of their own and yes they are extreme on their beliefs and yes it is scary but what he gives though is that this is their way of dealing with their existence or in a more straight cut throat manner, boredom. Everyone does it and in city life it is the job we are tied and the luxuries of various past times. But even beyond that one questions constantly on their existence, the universal quest of humans to see what they are here for. Answers to look for and walls with dead end marks drive them crazy. Either you got to make terms with yourself on the life’s enjoyment or look up to the sky. “Searching for Wrong Eyed Jesus” is a look on those people looking at those skies in an angry manner but have a way of doing it to create an environment to have a unique feel of liveliness and an origin of art to it.
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