I didn't see a ton of films last year. My hands-down favourite was GEORGE WASHINGTON, made by David Gordon Green in 2000 - which by the way has only a poetic connection with the dead president. There are comparisons with Malick, mostly in the very loose narrative style, the pre-eminence of image, and voice-over narration that evokes DAYS OF HEAVEN in a blend of naivete and insight that amounts to poetry. But where Malick is epic, Green is quotidian: where Malick's films are rural, Green turns his camera on the detritus and abandoned structures of industry in a faltering American town.
Don't go expecting TREE OF LIFE. It could be argued that the Malick film is his greatest (though I prefer DAYS OF HEAVEN), but in any case, it is the expression of a major film-maker in his maturity. GEORGE WASHINGTON was a film school project - though it may be the only film school project to be added to the Criterion collection.
I love this movie.
Pacific Cinematheque
Sunday, March 4, 2012 - 6:30pm
Wednesday, March 7, 2012 - 8:10pm
Monday, March 12, 2012 - 8:10pm
