Review

In the seventies, a young man bearing a derogatory "Fuckhead" nickname spends most of his time stealing or taking various drugs. He shares his passion for dope with a beautiful young woman, Michelle. But his quest of getting high is linked with a true compassion for those around him. He tries to help them but fails regularly…

After getting international attention for her first feature, Crush, which was selected for the main competition in Cannes, as well as her short Kitchen Sink, Alison McLean decided to carry on her exploration of the fringe through an adaptation of Dennis Johnson's famous collection of short stories.

The tone is crude, ferocious, jubilant, as Alison McLean's inspiration runs high enough to convey the wild hallucinatory frenzy of the characters, while never quite drawing the line between reality and delirium. Unlike recent movies such as Dinar's winner Human Traffic, which used similar means to lesser effects, Jesus' Son proves successful enough and boasts such cameos as Holly Hunter and Dennis Hopper in similarly delirious parts.

Yannis Polinacci