Review of Child of God (2014) by Filipeneto — 25 Aug 2019

This movie is definitely not for me.

This is a movie that was hard to see. In fact, James Franco, the director, was certainly aware that the film is unpleasant and would be the target of harsh criticism. In fact, the movie can truly shock the most sensitive viewer and is totally inadvisable for those under 18 (in fact, even some more easily impressionable adults should avoid this movie).

Ok, I recognize: this movie is sick. Far from being a movie for everyone, it is a movie for very few. The script goes something like this: a rude and retarded lumberjack from rural America, whose father committed suicide and whose mother disappeared, has just seen his house auctioned off and his rude character and inability to discern right from wrong make him a outlawed, hated by all and avoided by all. Violence and primitive instincts arise in a man who has left society and will devote himself wholly to his most basic desires, including necrophilia, the unhealthy sexual activity he will engage in to the point of killing.

Firstly, we should congratulate Franco and Scott Haze, who are the director / screenwriter and the lead actor. Haze played a nasty and brutal character very intensely and earnestly. Franco was able to direct his actors and give them the material needed for their work. The film has an intense and lively soundtrack, but a very slow pace. Technically, I appreciated the use of handheld cameras for filming to give the movie an even more disturbing tone. But despite the positive features (central actor performance, good soundtrack, good technical aspects, etc.), this movie is not really for me. I hated it.