Another hidden gem recently discovered, thanks to random discussions on a few film podcasts that I listen to. George Washington offers a telling story from deep in the trenches, about love, about death.
The title character (Donald Holden) must tread lightly, as his skull did not fusion in infantile development like his peers. George’s ailment prevents him from getting his head wet, and must even wear a helmet when he plans on playing with friends. Some rough-housing leads to an accidental death of a friend, in a well-timed, well-edited scene sparks a close group of friends to hide the body.
Now fearing punishment, the group recedes, or so they try. George has unexpectedly become an unlikely hero in the town, after jumping into a pool to save a friend. George’s heroism put his own mortality on the surface of the water. The group who witnessed the death earlier have begun to mourn their friend in such poetic ways, while townees share their theories on the disappearance.
With patience, George Washington leaps at you like a strong poem, and keeps you staring like a magnificent painting on a wall. Loves are lost, loves a gained. Lives are lost, lives are saved.
Factories are still, abandoned and rusted. The town may be depressed and poor, but the citizens are rich with their existence, unknowingly working together to defeat boredom on a hot summer. Friendships are tested, not in the struggle in which friendships are often tested. Despite the economic status of the town, the residents have a shared intelligence and articulation about themselves, it was as if Shakespeare himself wrote and directed George Washington.
After George Washington is proclaimed a hero, he begins to wear a cape, the American symbol of heroism. It is certainly ironic that earlier in this film we are provided with the knowledge of George’s skull, yet a friend is fatally injured in some light rough-housing. His cape doesn’t shield him from his wise mentality, a wisdom beyond that of any 12-year old boy. The cape is a burden, despite his heroism, George is an accomplice to something every child wishes to never experience.
Directed by David Gordon Green is his debut, and what a debut it is. Much like many low-budget, independent, break-through films, George Washington features many non-actors. Yet these actors play their characters with exquisite exuberance, the realism fades to plausible, and fades back to realistic. Actor Paul Schneider (of Parks and Recreation fame) makes his earliest theatrical role.
The irony of George Washington’s heroism is a statement on heroism in general. How often do those who make the world better live in the shadows of the terrible things they may have done?
