Searching for the Wrong-Eyed Jesus (2003)

Searching for The Wrong-Eyed Jesus is a captivating and compelling road trip through the creative spirit of the the Southern U.S. Director Andrew Douglas's film follows "Alt Country" singer... See full summary »

Director:

Andrew Douglas

Writer:

Steve Haisman

Stars:

Harry Crews, Johnny Dowd, David Eugene Edwards

1 win & 2 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Harry Crews	...	Himself
Johnny Dowd	...	Himself
David Eugene Edwards	...	Himself
The Handsome Family	...	Themselves
Gary Howington	...	Himself (as Rev. Gary Howington)
David Johansen	...	Himself
Lee Sexton	...	Himself
Brett Sparks	...	Himself- The Handsome Family
Rennie Sparks	...	Herself - The Handsome Family
Melissa Swingle	...	Herself (as Trailer Bride)
Jim White	...	Himself

Storyline

Searching for The Wrong-Eyed Jesus is a captivating and compelling road trip through the creative spirit of the the Southern U.S. Director Andrew Douglas's film follows "Alt Country" singer Jim White through a gritty terrain of churches, prisons, truck stops, biker bars and coal mines. This is a journey through a very real contemporary Southern U.S., a world of marginalised white people and their unique and home-made society. Along the way are road-side encounters with modern musical mavericks including The Handsome Family, Johnny Dowd, 16 Horsepower and David Johansen; old time banjo player Lee sexton; rockabilly and mountain Gospel churches - and novelist Harry Crews telling grisly stories down a dirt track.

---

Plot Keywords:

southern u.s. | bar | prison | banjo | prayer | 

---

Genres:

Documentary

---

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

5 May 2004 (USA)

Also Known As:

Buscando a Jesús con ojos equivocados

Filming Locations:

Ferriday, Louisiana, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$4,095, 17 July 2005, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$79,916

Company Credits

Production Co:

Andrew Douglas Company,Lone Star Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

82 min

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Quotes

Andrew Douglas: What have you been up to?
Jim White: Killin' time... It just won't die.

---

Soundtracks

Coo Coo Bird
Traditional, Performed by Doc Watson and Clarence Ashley

User Reviews

A caution as to the accuracy of what the documentary portrays.

To amend the other comment, it is not primarily Louisiana, but North/Central/East Florida up to North Georgia/South Carolina area. I lived 23 years in Gainesville, FL, my master's thesis required me to extensively examine Southern Appalachian culture, I know people who have had Harry Crews for a professor, I have read much southern literature, and I am familiar with the Cracker culture. I only state this to show I am more researched with the "true" South. It is a good and rather accurate documentary but biased in that it focuses on finding out the meaning of something. Thus the documentary is not an accurate portrayal of the entire South but of sub-cultures to the South. Another good look at more Eastern Florida is "Vernon, FL," showing a different sub-culture well. The other review comment's enough and is accurate but to note it is hard for any one documentary or film to capture what the South is considering how regional and place specific traditions, religions, and lifestyles are, so don't take the film as "truth" creating a stereotype. A lot of behavior examined in this documentary comes from, in my opinion, boredom, difficult financial conditions, and the heat and humidity. Not a rather atypical result of these either I might add. Anybody staying anytime in any of these places will soon experience emotions contributing to this behavior and cultural identity. Other than that, it is worth watching if you are at all interested in documentaries, aspects of southern culture, or are just interested in people.