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The ordinary denizens of a small Southern town become natural subjects for filmmaker Errol Morris in
Vernon, Florida, a hypnotically bizarre character study. Based on the evidence of the film, this small humid town in the panhandle is home to a disproportionately high percentage of oddballs. (On the other hand, Morris's other work suggests that poking a camera anywhere uncovers a common vein of weirdness.) Some of the material comes across as sideways homespun wisdom: when a man gazes across a swamp and marvels at how much water is out there, he adds, "And that's just the top of it." Hard to argue with that. Then there's the jar of sand the contents of which, its owners swear, has been growing in volume over the years. And a hunter's descriptions of the near-orgasmic highs and lows of turkey hunting is a monologue that would have impressed Faulkner or Thomas Wolfe. It has always been an open question whether Morris's blank-eyed camera is encouraging the viewer to laugh at his subjects or simply presenting the world as it is. You'll laugh, and more likely be astonished.
--Robert Horton
Product Description
Fire up the pickup and head down to this backwater town with "one of America's strangest and most brilliant documentary filmmakers" (Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times)! Oscar(r)-winning*director Errol Morris (The Thin Blue Line) presents a pastiche of fascinating interviews with the weird and wonderful people of Vernon, Florida, in this "amusing portrait" (Variety) of oddball Americana! For the inhabitants of this Southern town, there's no place like home for the rest of us, there's no place like Vernon, Florida! From the passionate turkey-hunter to the peculiar pet collector, each member of this motley crew has a story to tell. And in the masterful hands of Morris, their obsessions and eccentricities reveal the heart and soul of an unabashedly unique slice of the American pie! *2003: Documentary Feature, Fog of War (with Michael Williams)
