The Neon Bible

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The Neon Bible ★★ 1995

Beautifully crafted, yet thin telling of the struggles of a rural family in 1940s Georgia. The stories unfold in a series of flash-backs, as a 15-year-old boy travels alone on a train, reflecting on his dysfunctional early adolescence. An abusive father (Leary) who dies in the war, suicidal mom (Scarwid), and ex-showgirl visiting aunt (Rowlands) provide plenty of opportunities for familial angst. Starts out strong, with some stunning scenes sprinkled throughout, but director Davies never ventures far from the narrative territory he's covered thoroughly in his other films (“Distant Voices, Still Lives” and “The Long Day Closes”). Adapted from the novel by Pulitzer Prize winning author John Kennedy Toole. 92m/C VHS, DVD . Gena Rowlands, Jacob Tierney, Diana Scarwid, Drake Bell, Denis Leary, Leo Burmester, Frances Conroy, Peter McRobbie, Joan Glover, Dana Dick, Virgil Graham Hopkins; D: Terence Davies; W: Terence Davies; C: Michael Coulter.

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The Neon Bible

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