Chrystal

I'm a huge Drive-By Truckers fan. Even wrote about them. They're one of those great American bands that don't get nearly enough attention. They sing these gritty southern rock songs and embrace the duality of the southern thing and all the beautiful, human contradictions. Chrystal is a film like that.

Chrystal stars Billy Bob Thornton, Lisa Blount, Walton Goggins, and Ray McKinnon, who also directs. Johnny Galecki and, holy shit, Harry Dean Stanton play minor roles. McKinnon, Blount, and Goggins make up a little production company called Ginny Mule Pictures, which apparently no longer has a web site. Unfortunate.

Virtually no one has heard of Chrystal. Only 14 people have reviewed the film on Amazon. Another 44 have reviewed the film on Netflix, which is somewhat encouraging. The film has an 80% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Drive-By Truckers, Jay Farrar, and a bunch of other great musicians contributed to the soundtrack, which is comprised mostly of southern rock and folk music. That alone is reason enough to check this film out. Critics saw this, but that's about all.

Here's the trailer. After the first minute or so of Hollywood-formula-for-a-perfect-trailer, you really do get a sense of what this film can do, and when Jay Farrar's haunting "Dent County" starts at 1:54 in the trailer, well, that there is a song.

There is nothing particularly earth-shattering about Chrystal. This is just a quiet, independent film that made no money and told a story that is as true to the south as you'll find. Once in a while a film really gets it. The folks at Ginny Mule Pictures are all southerners who have defied the odds and made inroads for themselves in an entertainment industry dominated by beautiful, vapid tabloid fodder. They make films they want to make, exploring themes they want, casting supportive southern actors and shooting on location down south. They've squeaked out some meager independent success, but art is not about money. I wish filmmaking weren't — we'd likely see more interesting films. Films like Chrystal are small miracles because they get to exist.

I am haunted by the south. I have southern roots, and sometimes I feel like I live in the wrong place. Chrystal makes me wonder.