Screen Door Jesus

I was 10 years old when my sister took me to see the image of Jesus head on the screen door in Port Neches Tx in 1969. There were a lot of people forming a human fence around the house. We didn't have to pay anything, but then again it was a new phenomenon. I don't remember any hysterics and i was never sure whether I believed it was real or not. In one of my picture albums I have an old Polaroid of the door with the image. I never knew the film was out until one night I could not sleep and I was channel surfing. Brought back a lot of memories. If it was real and a sign... Why didn't anything ever come of it? Several years later the lady that owned the house died and the image disappeared. The movie? Eh

This film's got some honest heart and soul. Writer/director Kirk Davis deeply wanted to tell a story about race, faith, and politics, and how the identity of small town folk in East Texas relies entirely on these three categories. In other words, you are the color of the skin, the church you attend, and the political party you vote for, the end.

Screen Door Jesus is a ensemble "dramedy" (I use that word when I can't decide if it's a comedic drama or a dramatic comedy) set during an East Texas summer when an entire town is changed by the mysterious appearance of the image of Jesus on a screen door. My only problem with this film is that I'm not entirely sure that the town really does change. I doubt whether any character really changes. Sure, some people who start out alive end up dead, but beyond that, we never dig deep enough into any one character to really see them as human and really connect. I sometimes felt that some of the actors where making fun of their characters rather than really believing in them and portraying them honestly.

However, for a first-time writer and director, Davis still does an admirable job at telling a complex story. I just wish there was a little more closure at the end. But in life, we never really do get proper closure, do we?

The stars aligned just right: a catchy title, it's in Texas, it's funny, and there is no football game on worth watching. So why not try a film that won three awards at the Hampton's Film Festival. Who knew they even had one? Now, things started off interesting with a "God Hates fags" group showing up to protest, but it really got going when Jesus was discovered on a screen door.

I am not going to comment on the actors, as I don't know any of the. I do, however, want to see more of Texan Scarlett McAlister. Now, she made things interesting (with her bright smile) in every appearance, even as things were developing elsewhere.

There are a lot of religious beliefs explored in this film, and it will cause you to question your own. It was interesting.

Excellent film about the nature of religion in a small Texas town. When a picture of Jesus appears on a screen door, people react in different ways, and we see how people are both helped and hindered by their belief.

The characters are great and each has a story to tell. I was reminded of Robert Altman's NASHVILLE, where characters interacted into one fascinating mosaic. There are more interesting twists, as characters' beliefs are challenged, and they react and change (and sometimes not).

Even if you're not religious, the film is terrific. Writer/Director Kirk Davis walks a line between scoffing at the nuttiness of religion, and treating it perfectly seriously. It's a religious film for those who believe, and for those who have no real use for religion.

See it.