Chrystal

Chrystal is a tragic story told with the well-crafted vision of Ray McKinnon. Visually, it is a beautiful glimpse of middle America in all its raw serenity. Its violence at times, although uncomfortable, seems necessary to provide the realism of the situation and the lives of these people.

It is a simple story of heartfelt emotion between a couple that has suffered and been broken by the loss of their child. Billy Bob Thorton and Lisa Blount battle through their individual pains, emotions and confusions with great fortitude and delivery. The story unfolds slowly, but is worth taking the journey. The supporting cast is stellar. Colin Firth as Hog is a treat.

It is rare to come across films as unique and fine tuned as CHRYSTAL, even more so when the only recognizable feature is the big name star on the film's cover. But in this first cinematic outing by the enormously gifted Ray McKinnon there are so many sparks of greatness that they dwell on the screen like glowing embers until the collective heat explodes into a impressive fire of creative skill.

Ray McKinnon both wrote and directed this film and also plays one of the key characters (in an award-deserving performance for supporting actor!). His method of telling a story is as slow and gradual as a festering abscess and he makes his audience stay alert until all of the dots are gradually joined to reveal the whole picture: that takes writing and directing guts in a time when audiences want to be spoon fed linear plots summarized in a sentence. McKinnon's courage (and budgetary constraints) made him cast his film with mostly unknown actors, each of whom performs like seasoned veterans. How much of that is due to the presence of such fine talent as Billy Bob Thornton, Harry Dean Stanton, and Lisa Blount is up for speculation, but it is McKinnon's sure hand both in writing and in directing that makes this little film so pungent and memorable.

Joe (Billy Bob Thornton - in a brilliantly understated performance) returns to a little trashy town in Arkansas in mid Ozarks after a 20 year prison time for drugs, DUI, and attempts to escape: his imprisonment began after a car crash that killed his young son and left his wife Chrystal (Lisa Blount, an actress of tremendous depth) with a broken neck and a broken spirit and soul, living in squalor and providing sex for all of the men and boys of the area. Chrystal is a used, spent, fragile creature, in constant pain from her neck fracture and living like a walking emotional zombie. Joe returns, and without much dialogue cleans the yard and house and land and ensconces himself on the porch of their house, tended only by Chrystal's confused old dog.

Word gets around that Joe, known for his growing of high caliber marijuana before incarceration, has returned and the local smarmy drug king Snake (Ray McKinnon) and his pals attempt to draw Joe back into a life of crime. Joe aches for redemption for his past mistakes, longs to retrieve his marriage with the severely emotionally damaged Chrystal, and is willing to fight to protect his new life. Gruesome encounters with Snake and with the townsfolk ensue. With all of the myriad pieces of this story finally woven into an amazing quilt, Joe and Chrystal come as close to redemption as is feasible.

The story is so much more layered than this too brief synopsis, but revealing more would deprive the viewer of the heady work and rewards of staying with this stunning film. The musical score is spare but eminently appropriate, combining Bruce Springsteen records with original music by Stephen Trask and some haunting Ozark tunes sung by Lisa Blount, Harry Dean Stanton (as Pa Da) and others. The setting is atmospheric and the cinematography by Adam Kimmel captures McKinnon's story's mood impeccably. The cast is some of the finest ensemble acting seen in years, especially in view of the fact that most of the actors have little screen experience.

Sounds like a rave review? Well, it is. This is one extraordinary piece of work and just like the not dissimilar Faulkner novels it takes work, but the payoff is equally satisfying. Highly Recommended - for viewing, for the afterburn of the experience, and for votes for just awards! Grady Harp

Chrystal is a movie that just won't leave you alone after you've seen it. It takes its time and burrows under your skin. Scenes take on a feeling of real time not 'reel time'. Directed by supremely talented Ray McKinnon, produced by McKinnon and Lisa Blount who completely possesses the title role, this film is a haunting look at what happens to people who will not and in fact, cannot put their overwhelming and powerful feelings into words. Someone once said, "There are rooms of experience that you and I will never enter." Well, that may be true in most cases, but McKinnon and his cast take you into one of these rooms and leave you there long enough so that you won't soon forget it. Balanced skillfully between moments that will make you twist and turn in your seat and moments of unexpected levity, this dark, Gothic Southern tale of loss leads to a strange kind of redemption. It will raise questions long after you leave the cinema. And how many movies these days do that? Don't miss it. It's a jewel.

I went to this movie with no idea of what to expect other than Billy Bob Thornton's usual brilliance. I was blown away, I couldn't decide what I was mesmerized by more, the characters or the sheer prowess of these actors. I didn't grown up in the Southern culture, I married into it, and wish I had learned to understand it better and so much earlier. I was literally transported to the small town in Alabama where my ex-husband grew up as I watched these characters do their dance. It was riveting. Ray McKinnon has created a masterpiece and his wife in the role of Chrystal was like watching someone go through life walking on broken glass, you can't help but wonder what on earth keeps them moving but that smallest glimmer of hope.

Life is hard. Love is simple. It's the tag line of the movie and it is the only expectation that you should have when buying the ticket. The extraordinary characters created by writer/director Ray McKinnon and his magnificent cast, show us that sometimes the simple life isn't always as safe as it sounds. Chrystal, played by McKinnon's refreshingly talented wife, Lisa Blount, gives us a roller-coaster ride of emotions and anxiety while she does her best to deal with the "pain" of her life and hold on to the man she loves. Having grown up in the Ozark mountains myself I may be a little biased in saying that the scenery was absolutely beautiful. Ray did a great job of showcasing the rolling hills and majestic views that can only be found in that little known part of the world. This film is loaded with everything that makes a movie worth watching. From solid performances by headline actors like Billy Bob Thorton, to a deep bench of fresh new talent waiting to explode in the business, such as Colin Fickes(Hog) and Max Kasch(Shorty). Ray McKinnon also steps out from behind the camera to give a downright entertaining show as "Snake", a white trash wanna be drug lord of the holler.

For me it's a movie that was more than worth the ticket price. It was a trip home to see some old friends. I'm sure those same friends will raise hell about being shown as simpletons and hillbillies, but sometimes we are. But along with that we are the most real of any people I know and the Ginney Mule team shows that with this movie called "Chrystal."