- Director: David Gordon Green
- AMG Rating:
- Genre: Drama
- Movie Type: Americana, Coming-of-Age
- Themes: Small-Town Life
- Main Cast: Candace Evanofski, Donald Holden, Paul Schneider
- Release Year: 2000
- Country: US
- Run Time: 89 minutes
Plot
David Gordon directs this bleak drama about a gang of rural teens going astray. The title character is 13-year-old boy who lives in an impoverished corner of North Carolina. While wandering around with his rag-tag band of mates, one boy gets inadvertently killed. Fearing parental retribution, the gang hides the body. Later, matters comes to a head when guilt and anxiety starts to take its toll. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie GuideReview
A bold, ambitious first feature by David Gordon Green, this fiercely independent effort chronicles young slum life in a more experimental vein than most modern movies. Recalling the work of filmmakers as diverse as Terrence Malick and Harmony Korine in its unconventional tactics, the film eventually wears out its welcome, especially after its crucial turning point is revealed. However, it retains significant dignity throughout, and Green's surprising grasp of visual storytelling is highly in evidence here. The film was created using non-professional actors (a device that is terrific in theory, but its execution is suspect), and filmed using natural light, which gives it a rich, documentary-like feel. Unlike the recent Dogma 95 movement, however, its roots in conventional filmmaking techniques are strongly apparent, as its evocative Cinemascope 35mm implementation indicates. An easier picture to admire than to genuinely "like," George Washington nonetheless stands out amidst a sea of impersonal, crudely made independent films.~ Jason Clark, All Movie Guide
Cast
Candace Evanofski Donald Holden - Paul Schneider
