Red Dirt

If you enjoy being spoon-fed at the theater or in front of your television, then this movie isn't for you. If you are offended by a subtle gay storyline however non-offensive it may be, then perhaps a night out at Hooters would be better suited for you. But if you think you might enjoy a movie with interesting Southern characters, set amidst some fine beauty from the southern part of the U.S., then this flick might be for you. The direction IS just fine and I was pleasantly surprised at how much I liked the characters. Karen Black is a real treat here.

I saw this film in New York after reading a good review in "The Village Voice." Like the film, I was raised in Mississippi and it seems that way too often Southern depictions lack the sense of place that is so much a part of life there. With this film, the thick air is not missing. You could clearly taste its presence here. It was wonderful to see it portrayed in a way that had the courage to be slow.

Karen Black was amazing, and her performance should have really received attention from the Academy. I know that her past work has included many fine Southern roles, including perhaps most notably in "Five Easy Pieces" and Altman's "Back to the Five and Dime" but truly this had to be the performance that really showcases her talents and the blindness of Hollywood. Are people crazy? Why don't we see more of the legendary Karen Black!

The look of the film is outrageous (as is the Soundtrack.) Very much like a painting.

I was also not surprised to find that the director was from Mississippi as well. I am just amazed that this is his first feature. There are subtle pieces of culture, cleverly tucked here and there, that I really got tickled at.

This film is not for everyone. It is not an action packed, violence drowned, produced piece of garbage. "Red Dirt" is a quiet, little gem that reminds me of home. And of the power of stories about real people and the complicated lives we can create within them. It is a film that could have easily slipped by me, but I am truly glad that it didn't.

This film is as slow as turning a nearly-empty bottle of molasses on its side, and watching it run down for two hours; a real waste of time.

Despite its beautiful photography and numerous outdoor scenes, there is a constant claustrophobic feel, probably due to the small cast; it has a wierd "inbred" feeling. The characters don't seem like they are part of their surroundings. Whenever Karen Black is on the screen, its like she is pulling energy out of everything around her.

Its not really a "gay" film - the characters certainly don't consider themselves gay; there is no male-male sex (but some straight sex scenes). The sudden claims of male love come out of nowhere, and just aren't very believable. There is potential dynamite in the sub-text of a man and a woman competing for the affections of the lead male character, but it never catches fire here. The ending appears to be trying for some kind of "nobility of denial" as the characters avoid acting on their feelings, but it never really resolves.

No doubt this film has great personal resonance for the film-maker, and presumably for other rural Southern gay guys stuck on farms (who are unlikely to know it exists!). Ultimately its a not particularly interesting failure. I think that the film-maker just pulled too many punches, and either couldn't or wouldn't make the film this could have been.

"Red Dirt" is not quite like any film –independent or otherwise – to have come out in some time. Some seem to have been disappointed that this wasn't a great southern "romance" either straight or gay and others seem to have been unable to connect with the characters.

While the premise is easily recognizable and perhaps, predictable even, what Purvis did was take a standard situation - and give it a spin all its own with fresh, inviting characters.

I feel Mr. Purvis captures perfectly a small town in the deep South. Deadly silence punctuated by birds, wolves, crickets, locust, rain. Then there are the crazy southern women (all 4 women in this showed signs of madness) always with deeply hidden and long held secrets. All of these women exhibit a wondrously wide (and wild) range of emotions from instability to madness to wise.

One of the most touching elements of the film was the bonding connection between Emily and Aunt Summer, with Em's final "goodbye" an arrestingly beautiful film moment.

The gay repression angle works perfectly here, both men quiet about it, but Griffith actually socially naïve and stunted enough into thinking what is going on between he and Lee is strictly friendship. His unhinging and rage were moving.

Comments about Karen Black's being "all over the place" are correct, but this is not a bad thing. Her character is just that – emotionally unstable, a lifetime of guilt over her secret which is what is driving her mad. We see that pent up madness within her coming out in her dramatic loony-tune sequences and her escape into music makes perfect sense.

To those who complained about a lack of romantic ending, I can't imagine a more classically "romantic" then this; rage, revelation and confusion subsiding into sadness, forgiveness, self-awareness and acceptance . . . as the sun streams down on a glorious southern evening.

Physically, as well, this is a stunning film, the photography breathtaking, the colors vivid and true.

I did not, quite honestly, expect to enjoy this film at all. Instead I found myself drawn in, touched watching these self-imposed alienated characters trying to connect with another human, and ultimately I found myself deeply moved.

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There are several holes in the story of this movie... if you're one of those people who gets hung up on that, move along. If you're able to immerse yourself into something and just enjoy it, then I would recommend this movie... quite enjoyable.

I'm not a fan of it being billed as a "gay" movie; when Lee Todd enters the world of Griffith and Emily, and their slightly crazed Aunt Selma, Griffith for the first time has someone that he can consider a friend (besides his beautifully controlling cousin Emily, who desires more than mere companionship and will try anything she can to keep him in their native small Mississippi town).

I don't think the words "gay", "queer", or "homosexual" ever enter this movie; while the characters develop a love that is self-admittedly stronger than friendship, that's really what this movie is about. Griffith's frustrating love and sense of responsibility for his crazed aunt, Emily's obsessive blinding love for Griffith, and Lee's protective love of Griffith...

Add in an interesting subplot of a dark family secret (that had so much more potential that it actually delivered) and it's an interesting concept.

Having grown up myself in a very small rural town where few people ever leave, I related to the movie and thought that even if the story was a bit weak, it was still beautifully delivered.