White Lightnin'
Encyclopedia
White Lightnin' is a 2009 dramatic thriller film directed by Dominic Murphy and written by Eddy Moretti and Shane Smith.
White Lightnin' was inspired by the life of Jesco White
, an Appalachian mountain dancer
. It was shown at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival.
mountain dancers. He is the son of D Ray White
, the greatest mountain dancer of all time. Ever since Jesco was a child, D Ray tried to keep him on a straight path—one that would put him on the right hand of the Lord. Dancing was just one way to keep Jesco from losing his soul. But from a young age, there was temptation drawing him away from D Ray, away from the dancing. There were the voices in his head, tormenting him. Maybe that’s why Jesco loved to get high.
Hooked on sniffing gas, glue, lighter fluid, airplane cement, Jesco was constantly finding himself in trouble with the law. He landed in the reform school
more than once, and it was here that he spent most of his adolescence, left to endure the horror of the voices. While incarcerated, Jesco had to endure the brutal and senseless murder of D Ray.
Years after his time in reform school, Jesco had made the best of staying true to his daddy’s word. He tried to stay as straight as he could, and used the dancing to do so. But the devil has his ways too, and soon Jesco was back to his old vices. On his way around the south, dancing and performing his version of Elvis Presley in whatever local dives he could, Jesco met the woman of his dreams—four foot three inch Enid Carter. Enid liked to be called Percilla. An off-beat pair, the two managed to keep all their wickedness inside the family.
Life was good in this little family until one logging season brought two visitors to town… Long and Davie—the two men responsible for killing D Ray years earlier. It was as though God were testing Jesco again, tempting him with the taste of revenge. And so this temptation was satisfied, and Jesco got the revenge he craved. Running from the police, Jesco hid himself in a small cabin deep in the West Virginia hills. It was here that Jesco reached a dead end. If it was not for that one last bloody act of salvation, Jesco’s soul would have been lost forever.
, though additional shooting was done in West Virginia.
White Lightnin' was inspired by the life of Jesco White
Jesco White
Jesco White, the "Dancing Outlaw", is an American mountain dancer and entertainer. He is best known as the subject of three American documentary films that detail his desire to follow in his famous father's footsteps, while trying to overcome depression, drug addiction, and the poverty that...
, an Appalachian mountain dancer
Clogging
Clogging is a type of folk dance with roots in traditional European dancing, early African-American dance, and traditional Cherokee dance in which the dancer's footwear is used musically by striking the heel, the toe, or both in unison against a floor or each other to create audible percussive...
. It was shown at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival.
Plot
Jesco White is the last of the West VirginiaWest Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...
mountain dancers. He is the son of D Ray White
The White family
The White family is a family living in rural Boone County, West Virginia. The family has a reputation for anti-social behavior, and, indeed, some members of the family are quite proud of it. The family, especially Jesco, is infamous in Boone County, but celebrated by some...
, the greatest mountain dancer of all time. Ever since Jesco was a child, D Ray tried to keep him on a straight path—one that would put him on the right hand of the Lord. Dancing was just one way to keep Jesco from losing his soul. But from a young age, there was temptation drawing him away from D Ray, away from the dancing. There were the voices in his head, tormenting him. Maybe that’s why Jesco loved to get high.
Hooked on sniffing gas, glue, lighter fluid, airplane cement, Jesco was constantly finding himself in trouble with the law. He landed in the reform school
Reform school
A reform school in the United States was a term used to define, often somewhat euphemistically, what was often essentially a penal institution for boys, generally teenagers.-History:...
more than once, and it was here that he spent most of his adolescence, left to endure the horror of the voices. While incarcerated, Jesco had to endure the brutal and senseless murder of D Ray.
Years after his time in reform school, Jesco had made the best of staying true to his daddy’s word. He tried to stay as straight as he could, and used the dancing to do so. But the devil has his ways too, and soon Jesco was back to his old vices. On his way around the south, dancing and performing his version of Elvis Presley in whatever local dives he could, Jesco met the woman of his dreams—four foot three inch Enid Carter. Enid liked to be called Percilla. An off-beat pair, the two managed to keep all their wickedness inside the family.
Life was good in this little family until one logging season brought two visitors to town… Long and Davie—the two men responsible for killing D Ray years earlier. It was as though God were testing Jesco again, tempting him with the taste of revenge. And so this temptation was satisfied, and Jesco got the revenge he craved. Running from the police, Jesco hid himself in a small cabin deep in the West Virginia hills. It was here that Jesco reached a dead end. If it was not for that one last bloody act of salvation, Jesco’s soul would have been lost forever.
Cast
- Edward HoggEdward HoggEdward Hogg is an English actor, known for portraying Jesco White in White Lightnin and Stephen Turnbull in Bunny and the Bull.-Background:...
as Jesco White - Carrie FisherCarrie FisherCarrie Frances Fisher is an American actress, novelist, screenwriter, and lecturer. She is most famous for her portrayal of Princess Leia in the original Star Wars trilogy, her bestselling novel Postcards from the Edge, for which she wrote the screenplay to the film of the same name, and her...
as Cilla - Stephanie Astalos-Jones as Birty May
- Kirk BovillKirk BovillKirk Bovill is an American actor. His film credits include Contraband, Texas Killing Fields, White Lightnin’, The Butterfly Circus and Circle of 8.- Early Life :...
as Long - Muse WatsonMuse WatsonMuse Watson is an American stage and screen actor. He most recently appeared as the recurring character Mike Franks in the television drama NCIS.-Biography:Watson was born on July 20, 1948 in Alexandria, Louisiana...
as D. Ray White
Production
It was filmed with a $2 million budget. Although the story takes place in West Virginia it was mostly filmed in CroatiaCroatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
, though additional shooting was done in West Virginia.
Reception
White Lightnin' received positive reviews from critics receiving an 80% on Rotten Tomatoes.Awards
- Golden Gateway of India Award 11th Mumbai Film Festival 2009
- "Golden Hitchcock" at the Dinard Festival of British Film, 2009
- Fantasia FestivalFantasia FestivalFantasia International Film Festival is a genre film festival that has been based mainly in Montreal since its founding in 1996...
"Jury Prize for Best First Feature" - British Independent Film Awards Most Promising Newcomer for Edward Hogg