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?
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?