Review of The Devil and Daniel Johnston (2006) by John D — 11 Mar 2008

This documentary interested me much more as an exploration of how (and why) art is created than to chronicle this specific artist. Overly praised as "the greatest singer/songwriter alive today," Daniel seems to manage to express his very soul through his art.

The movie leaves little doubt about the reach of his influence, but what's side-stepped is what, exactly, they see in him. Daniel examines his mental illness quite thoroughly, and is that the thread behind creative genius?