First, it's an impressive encapsulation of very small towns existing in crevices of the American Bible Belt. Tim Blake Nelson's camera floats around ominously, seemingly more interested in the spaces filled with remnants of what used to be, which are all enveloped by a place that feels perpetually empty with everyone just passing through, somehow even the people who live there.
Second, it's also one of the most depressing films you'll see. It begins with one of the most foreboding opening narrations I've heard, especially coming from the croaky delivery of Hal Holbrook. Then Nelson feeds information to us through a variety of flashbacks before replaying them with context later, so that scenes we initially saw that might have seemed trivial are later blanketed by spine-tingling darkness. The film examines faith of all kinds; religious, faith in another person you're close with, or just faith in humanity, and how it's hard to keep seeing the light in a world where so many horrific tragedies happen. I'm not sure if the film is a critical appraisal of anything in particular, maybe just a eulogy for people stuck in a life they wish they weren't, but lacking the resources to escape, and eventually succumbing to the devil; figuratively or literally.
Second, it's also one of the most depressing films you'll see. It begins with one of the most foreboding opening narrations I've heard, especially coming from the croaky delivery of Hal Holbrook. Then Nelson feeds information to us through a variety of flashbacks before replaying them with context later, so that scenes we initially saw that might have seemed trivial are later blanketed by spine-tingling darkness. The film examines faith of all kinds; religious, faith in another person you're close with, or just faith in humanity, and how it's hard to keep seeing the light in a world where so many horrific tragedies happen. I'm not sure if the film is a critical appraisal of anything in particular, maybe just a eulogy for people stuck in a life they wish they weren't, but lacking the resources to escape, and eventually succumbing to the devil; figuratively or literally.