George Washington

Like a thought-provoking Spike Lee social commentary without all the hip pretense, George Washington offers a startlingly authentic portrait of apathy, futility and discontented boredom ingrained upon a group of poverty-stricken kids in the rural South. Writer-director David Gordon Green follows these youths (all first-time actors) vérité-style as their habitual, willfully detached lives are shaken up when one of the kids dies in an accident and the rest try to cover it up for fear of being blamed. Green has trouble establishing clear motives for this action, and at times he seems to forget the conditions under which his characters live (these dirt-poor kids take a taxi to the place where they hide the body). But the remarkable simplicity, honesty and gravity brought to the film by its cast of non-professional actors helps push the viewer beyond such logistical hiccups (impossible to ignore though they are), making this sell-through priced independent film recommended, overall. (R. Blackwelder)[Blu-ray/DVD Combo Review—Mar. 11, 2014—Criterion, 90 min., not rated, Blu-ray/DVD Combo: $39.95—Making its latest appearance on DVD and debut on Blu-ray, 2000's George Washington features a fine transfer and a DTS-HD 2.0 surround soundtrack on the Blu-ray version. Extras include audio commentary by director David Gordon Green, cinematographer Tim Orr, and star Paul Schneider, Green's 1998 student short “Physical Pinball Shop,” with optional commentary (21 min.), Clu Gulager's 1969 short “A Day with the Boys” (18 min.), a 2001 cast reunion (16 min.), Green's 1997 student short “Pleasant Grove,” with optional commentary (15 min.), a 2001 interview with Green by Charlie Rose (15 min.), deleted scenes with optional commentary (9 min.), and a booklet featuring an essay by critic Armond White, and a director's statement. Bottom line: Green's arresting feature film debut makes a welcome bow on Blu-ray.]