Director Jeff Feuerzeig | USA | 2004 |
109 mins
Confession time. Prior to seeing this
film, I had not heard of Daniel Johnston and his significance in
the world of underground culture from the 1980's in terms of his
music and art output. Nevertheless, this is a compelling
documentary revealing an extraordinary individual and works on
several levels.
It brings out Johnston's compulsive personality
; taping and filming his life from his teenage days ; seeing the
Devil everywhere around him. Add rejection by a girl friend and
drug abuse, it is not surprising that Johnston has had nervous
breakdowns and spent time in mental hospitals. Currently, he
lives with his parents.
Whether Johnston's music and art are
the work of a genius is an open question but Jeff Feuerzeig
deserves praise for his years of dedication to this project and
for completing a remarkable piece of cinema. His light touch
allows the viewer to make their own conclusions about Daniel
Johnston - sad freak, mad genius or somewhere in between.
The film goes on general release in
February 2006.
****
Friday 26th August 2005
19.00 Cameo 1
Saturday 27th August 2005
19.00 Cameo 1
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