52docs / 16 - Southern discomfort

From one set of scary ghosts to another.

Its filmmaker describes this week’s film as “Gone with the Wind meets White Lotus meets Night of the Living Dead” and if that doesn’t whet your appetite then how about winning Best Documentary Feature at Tribeca last year (along with awards for Editing and Cinematography)?

I’ll admit I went ahead and watched the whole film last night before recommending it and it is extraordinary. Apparently the director spent 75 days filming across three years in Natchez, which gives it a rare intimacy. By the end I couldn’t believe how articulate (and in some cases grotesque) the characters were. Was the whole project itself some kind of elaborate reconstruction? I’d love to know what you think…

Review

Trailer

Q&A on reddit

Rent from all the usual places or watch free on PBS here.