Customer Reviews

Frontline: Country Boys

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I first saw "Country Boys" one evening after groggily scrolling through the channels until I got to PBS. There, I found an "docudrama" about two appalachian boys called Cody and Chris, following their trials and tribulations while attending a private high school. So engrossed was I, I watched the next two "installments," staying up past my "bedtime" to do so. Now, of course, I won't have to stay up beause I just ordered this beautiful film on DVD.

"Country Boys" had all the fixin's for being a "pitying" film. That is, it is a film about two poor boys attending a school for the academically struggling in Eastern Kentucky. Cody does not have parents (his father murdered his mother when he was very young.) Chris had an alcoholic father and a mother trying to make it any way she can. But far from pitying its subjects, we get to see not only the dark side, but the bright side, of each boy's life. We get to see not only failures (there are some of those), but successes. You will think about these boys and this town long after the 6 hours of film is over.

What really affected me about the film was that you get a real sense not only of who these boys are, but what the community is like. From the close-knit family that is the David School (the private high school for the acedemically challenged) to Cody and Chris's respective support "networks," you see both the ugliness and beauty that is Appalachia.

This is one of the few films that I have had trouble not thinking too much about after it was over. Now, all I have to do is wait for the DVD to come.

Perhaps my rating of this film is a bit biased. I'm from Knott County, KY, which borders Floyd County where the film takes place. I know boys just like Chris Johnson and Cody Perkins, struggling to make it through high school because of various tragic reasons. The duality of both "needing" an education and "not getting above your raisings" echos strongly throughout this film and throughout this region. It is a struggle for many young people to balance strong family ties and their own personal ambitions. I appreciate Sutherland's truthfulness to the reality of eastern Kentucky and to the very real struggles young people go through without using stereotype or judgement.

I will remember Country Boys for years to come as a film important to local and Appalachian studies. Apart from its stance as a regional piece, this is an entertaining documentary. Beautifully-shot and well-directed.

I saw this documentary when it was shown earlier this year on PBS & I am still thinking about Chris & Cody & wonder how they're doing. I can't express how much this film touched me. It's a magnificent piece of work. Thank you, David Sutherland, AND Chris & Cody!

I actually bought this as a gift for a friend because I had seen it when it was on PBS. It is a remarkable story and I highly recommend it. My friend is now also a believer and thought the story was very inspirational.

I am only 15 and my friend told me to watch it and i thought it was an amazing movie. I really felt like I knew them. I think that every person my age should watch it because it opens your eyes to people who don't have it as good as you do. But still they strive for more. I could never get tired of it.

My Niece Had A Leading Role In This Documentary So Im Partial In My Review But All In All It Was Done In Good Taste To All Involved In Its Making And To All Eastern KY People In General

This is a wonderful documentary that follows the lives of two boys, Chris and Cody, growing up in Eastern Kentucky from ages 15-18. Each boy has significant family problems to deal with. Chris's father is unemployed and a severe alcoholic. Cody is an orphan being raised by his step-grandmother. They go to an alternative private school, which is a last resort for troubled kids. They are trying hard, and you can't help hoping they'll beat the odds. Highly recommended.

If I had to name a single documentary that I continue to think about years later it's this one. This is real life shown raw as it really is, the day-to-day, the struggles and emotions it causes. David Sutherland ventures into these two boy's lives for three years, three of the most stressful years of their lives: graduating from high school and trying to make a start in the world despite perhaps unpromising circumstances. There's so much here that can be taken for social and political commentary: the breakdown of the role of the father in the American family, the breakdown of the family itself, rural poverty and trying to get by in America today. But there's no agenda here, it's about the details, trying to overcome challenges that will arise regardless how hard we work.

This penetrating documentary follows two Eastern Kentucky boys through the highs and lows of their quest to graduate from high school and realize their dreams. The filmmakers have managed to capture the poignance of life for the economically challenged in Eastern Kentucky, and they have also created something more universal, as there are qualities in Chris and Cody that we can all identify with. If you're a fan of Elizabeth Barret's documentaries or Gurney Norman's literature you will find yourself in familiar territory here. Strongly recommended.

I recently viewed this film on PBS. David Sutherland has done an amazing job capturing the 3-year journey of two interesting young men. It caught my attention immediately! The candid shots and conversations between Cody and Chris and those they come in contact with will remind you of the struggles we all go through during our teenage years. Thank you, David Sutherland for this invigorating look at our own history.