Screen Door Jesus (2003)

User Rating:

5.7/10   

Director:

Kirk Davis

Writers:

Christopher Cook (stories)
Kirk Davis (writer)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Fantasy

Plot:

An eclectic cast of characters intertwines and collides around themes of faith, religion and race in a small East Texas town...

Awards:

3 wins

Cast

Myk Watford	...	Sheriff Lou Dawson
Scarlett McAlister	...	Ronette Wilkins
Cynthia Dorn	...	Mother Harper
Alaina Huffman	...	Sharon Beaudry (as Alaina Kalanj)
Silvia Mathis Manning	...	Joycie Conroy (as Silvia Moore)
Buck Taylor	...	Old Man Nickels
Mark Dalton	...	Duane
Cliff Stephens	...	George Herbert
Josh Berry	...	Hank Jeters
Eugene P. Williams	...	Robroy Conroy
Anjanette Comer	...	Vernalynn Cunningham
Julius Tennon	...	Fallon Conroy
Franchelle S. Dorn	...	Momma Nell
Guich Koock	...	Earl Cunningham
Farah White	...	Rouella

MPAA:

Rated R for language and some sexual content.

Runtime:

119 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:R

Filming Locations:

Austin, Texas, USA

Company:

FCM Productions Inc.

Quotes:

Conway: If Jesus has super powers, he could make a robot with a soul.

Soundtrack:

Jesus Just Left Town

Austin Movie Show review...

This film's got some honest heart and soul. Writer/director Kirk Davis deeply wanted to tell a story about race, faith, and politics, and how the identity of small town folk in East Texas relies entirely on these three categories. In other words, you are the color of the skin, the church you attend, and the political party you vote for, the end.

Screen Door Jesus is a ensemble "dramedy" (I use that word when I can't decide if it's a comedic drama or a dramatic comedy) set during an East Texas summer when an entire town is changed by the mysterious appearance of the image of Jesus on a screen door. My only problem with this film is that I'm not entirely sure that the town really does change. I doubt whether any character really changes. Sure, some people who start out alive end up dead, but beyond that, we never dig deep enough into any one character to really see them as human and really connect. I sometimes felt that some of the actors where making fun of their characters rather than really believing in them and portraying them honestly.

However, for a first-time writer and director, Davis still does an admirable job at telling a complex story. I just wish there was a little more closure at the end. But in life, we never really do get proper closure, do we?