CHILD OF GOD

US, 2013, 104 minutes, Colour.
Scott Haze, Tim Blake Nelson, Jim Parrack, James Franco, Vince Jolivette.
Directed by James Franco.

The first thing to note is that this is a film based on a novel by Cormac Mc Carthy. The celebrated novelist has had several film versions of his books, All the Pretty Horses, directed by Billy Bob Thornton, No Country for Old Men, the Oscar-winner from the Coen Brothers and The Road, directed by John Hillcoat.

This time the film is co-written and directed by James Franco, who has become prolific as novel writer, screenwriter and director as well as performing in most of his films. He has a cameo role in this film as the leader of a posse to track down the central character, Lester Ballard. He is played by Scott Haze in an intense performance, a loner, touches of madness, antisocial, with unbalanced sexual proclivities, yet very shrewd in surviving. Tim Blake Nelson plays the local Sheriff and Jim Parrack his deputy.

This is very grim backwoods film, focusing on Ballard, his character, his psyche, his behaviour, townspeople against him, the pressures from the sheriff and his assistant, his assaulting women, shooting, scalping, necrophilia.

A film showing the effects of the inbred life in the American mountains and a grim world from Cormac Mc Carthy.

1. The impact of the film? Grim? The total, the ironies, Lester Ballard and his relationship with good and evil? God?

2. The work of Cormack Mc Carthy? His novels? Film adaptations? The Mc Carthy perspective, America, the backwards, community, individuals, harshness, righteousness and violence?

3. The locations, the mountains, the countryside, the fields, the open spaces, caves? The hut? The detail? Offices? Musical score?

4. The tone, grim, narration, the chapters and headings?

5. Lester Ballard and his character, the performance by Scott Haze? Explanations, wild man, alone, his house, coming in from the country, his reaction to the auction, the attack, claiming it was his property, the authorities claiming it was not? Threatening with the gun, his being hit on the head? His house? The mattress, harsh life, shooting the animals, the cow, stealing the hen?

6. Seeing the woman, her having been attacked, his dealings with her, her reaction? The arrest, the woman denouncing him, imprisonment, the African- American prisoner, his words, singing? The deputies, the accusation of rape?

7. The character of the deputies, keeping law and order, going into action, confronting Ballard?

8. Ballard and his life, wild, defecating, food, meals, cooking? Spying on people, the couple in the car, watching, masturbation, killing the girl? Taking her to the attic, dressing, the sexual experiences?

9. Audience repugnance at his character, behaviour? Moral judgement?

10. The cars, the inhabitants, the killings?

11. The attack on the woman, the scope, wearing her hair and scalp as a wig, the confrontation at the house, his running away?

12. His arrest, the struggle, his losing his arms, in hospital? His smart remarks?

13. The policy, the confrontation, their wanting to know where the bodies were buried, his leading them to the caves, the following, his escape, crawling through the tunnels, coming into the light and freedom?

14. The humanity and inhumanity of his character? The film?