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"My friend George said that he was gonna live to be 100 years old. He said, He said that he was going to be the president of the United States. I wanted to see him lead a parade and wave a flag on the Fourth of July." The spirit of the 1970s American filmmakers lives! In his first feature film, filmmaker David Gordon Green wrote / directed the fascinating and artistic George Washington. It's a very creative and original vision, which draws inspiration from the masterful work of Terrence Malick, Robert Altman or even more notably that of Charles Burnett's 1977 masterpiece Killer of Sheep. Much like his influences, Green stretches the boundaries of plot and storytelling to create a unique quality, while remaining honest and respectful of the viewer and the films characters. The characters (and audience) never get cheated or manipulated. More so then plot, George Washington relies on a series of incidents to examine the minds and feelings of it's young characters (who ALL are perfect, despite absolutely NO acting experience). Despite the films minor plot, it still manages to be powerful and creates a mood and sense of humanity to keep viewers interest in it's study of poor kids in an adult world, which seems to be decaying around them. The impact and strength of the film can mostly be credited to the outstanding cinematography by Tim Orr (who Green respectfully shares the end credit with). The train tracks, junk-yards, pools, bathrooms, and homes which surround George Washington have an equal role to it's characters. Green and Orr brilliantly captured atmosphere and mood, and their work has such a timeless and placeless quality to it. Race, class, or even corporations are nonexistent in this films world. While George Washington may not be absolutely perfect, it's imperfections are part of the beauty of the film. Highly recommended to those who enjoy the artistic vision and poetic power of cinema.
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