Review of The Neon Bible (1995) by Daniel P — 28 Oct 2005

Neon Bible (1995) ? ?Good crowd. Good money.? ? Bobby Lee (Evangelist).

In the ultra-racist, holy-rolling South of the 1940?s, there?s a boy that just doesn?t belong. Unable to fit in with his peers, all he has is his wife-thumping father and his mentally deteriorating mother until Aunt Mae, too old to work the honkey-tonks anymore, comes to live with them. Aunt Mae (Gena Rowlands), a social outcast among the town?s religious zealots, is David's window on the world.

The mostly bitter tale unwinds from 15-year old David's (Jacob Tierney - Twist) mind as he rides alone on a train. Director Terence Davies does a good job of staying within the boy?s mind as the scenes are reenacted. As a viewer, watching these events unfold from the perspective of a boy?s tortured soul is a challenge. Everything?s dramatic and over-amplified.

The toxic mixture of abuse, intolerance, and religion unfolds in something like a ?stage play musical.' The pace is deliberate with long camera pans and extended scene transitions. The film was both lauded (acting and direction) and disembowled (acting and direction). It may be a bit artsy for some.