Waste of time

To me, this movie is perfection.

Memorable, crazy movie

Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

Completely dissimilar from the original documentaries, but clearly inspired by them in terms of theme and incident. This most well captures the sense of desperate obsession, crazed addiction, (to 'Cilla, lighter fluid, his father's passing, or his own performance) and self-aggrandizing persecution. I found the depiction of Appalachia through b&w pans, bible radio and such terribly cliché, but at least in service to the film itself. Edward Hogg does a fantastic job of capturing not only Jesco's particular accent, but the rhythmic repetition and shifting emphasis in his speech patterns as he switches between extremes.Carrie Fisher is no less captivating, although her 'Cilla is less showy and not as directly inspired by Norma Jean. The particulars of their meeting, violent and romantic encounters, her singing voice, and facility for cooking up sloppy, slimy eggs are all explored well. And Fisher is inspiring as neither nag nor victim, but as interesting a character who is well defined with less apparent effort.But the direction this fiction takes is highly dramatized and loose, with Hasil Adkins' wild hoots accompanying Jesco's trip through self-destruction and vengeance. The cinematography becomes showy to an extent I found more intrusive than interesting, although at the same time Hogg's performance was increasingly good. It is not a case of difference from the angles taken in the documentaries, because this film makes its intent clear from the outset and maintains that difficult tone fairly well. But in the end, it felt like less a matter of character insight and more of sensationalized melodrama using exploitation technique.

White lightnin' is a work which exudes originality. That first and foremost must be said from this reviewer who is personally tired of the vapid humdrum which is usually churned out by Hollywood on a regular basis. Watching this film, I felt contented that there are still filmmakers out there who display boundary pushing ingenuity in there craft and who are not afraid to disturb the living hell out of you. Dominic Murphy has showed that he is one such director capable of telling you gut wrenching stories without descending into the usual path of incoherence in which so many of these types of films do. White Lightnin' is a film in which the plot never once lost focus of telling the story of the mountain dancing, gas huffing Jesco White. And while the violence, as my previous reviewer noted, is gratuitous and revolting, I never once felt it was incongruous or irrelevant with the story trying to be told. It is also of importance to note that viewing WL is like peering through a window into the destitute "white trash" culture of the poverty-stricken Appalachia. A way of life not assiduously examined through the medium of film. This in part presents the film with a particular boldness that was exhilarating to view.

technically , let's say it was pretty different, black and white picture, quick cuts, very dynamic and engaging. lots of violence at first but then you realize it was not that obvious and direct. study of state of mind of a man who is definitely sick and out of control. i had no idea who jesco white was. i read afterwards about his talent and being an artist.i didn't catch it at the first and i have an impression it wasn't that important, however the film forced me to dig deeper in his story. you may either love the movie or hate it. nothing between is possible. the music is worth listening. it perfectly matched the picture and i can't imagine it could be different.

Seen this one at the Berlin Filmfestival 2009 and did not know what I was up for. Felt quite a bit sorry for the friends I brought with me cause it turned out to be a tour de force in part.The style, the editing, the acting - all that is pretty impressive and engaging. But mind you: the depicted life story is most of the time not a pretty sight and not for the faint of heart. The depictions of substance abuse (lighter and gas fumes) by the young Jesco White, his violent outbursts, self mutilation, up to the murders in the end of the movie... I don't know a better way to stage this in a feature film and it is supposed to be true to the life of Jesco White. Still, beware what you might be up for: could be your first walk-out in a long time.I don't regret watching this movie, though I don't know if I had gone had I known what I was up for. Besides, I was glad I could end the film festival with another movie after that... sort of to clear my mind.