G.I. Jesús

G.I. Jesús (alternatively, G.I. Jesus) is a 2006 American film directed by Carl Colpaert. The film follows Jesús, a Mexican national seeking US citizenship through military service, who returns home to Los Angeles on furlough from the Iraq War. It won the grand jury prize at the 2006 CineVegas Film Festival.

G.I. Jesús
Directed byCarl Colpaert
Written by
  • Carl Colpaert
  • Deborah Setele
  • Deon Wilks
Starring
CinematographyFred Goodlich
Edited by
  • Wayne Kennedy
  • Nick Nehez
Distributed byCineville
Release dates
  • June 11, 2006 (CineVegas)
  • January 26, 2007 (United States)
Running time
100 min
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$2 million
Box office$8,593

Plot

Jesús is a Mexican national who joins the United States Marine Corps to receive naturalization in the United States.[1] After a traumatic incident during service in the Iraq War, he returns home on furlough to spend time with his wife and daughter in Los Angeles.[2] As he attempts to reconcile his traumatic past with his home life, he begins to see visions of a man named Mohammed, who confronts Jesús over a father and daughter that Jesús accidentally killed in Iraq.[3] Jesús increasingly has trouble distinguishing fantasy from reality, and visits a doctor who offers apparently paranoid theories about pharmaceutical experimentation on soldiers.[1] Jesús is then ordered back to Iraq, increasing the strain on his family life.[3] He considers returning to life in Mexico.[4]

Cast

Production

Director Carl Colpaert wrote the script for G.I. Jesús with two first-time co-writers, Deborah Setele and Deon Wilks.[5] The film was shot on a budget of approximately $2 million.[6] Colpaert specifically sought out unknown actors who had not earned a union card, which required casting "harder and longer" to find Mexican, Iranian, and Iraqi actors in the Los Angeles area.[7] War footage in the film was taken from a Frontline television special.[4]

Release

The film was screened at the 2006 CineVegas film festival and won the Grand Jury Prize.[8] It received an R rating and was released in 12 theaters on January 26, 2007, closing two weeks later.[9] In March 2007, the film received an exclusive showing at the Laemmle Theatres Monica 4-plex.[10] The following month G.I. Jesus was screened at the Village East Cinema in New York City.[11] In August 2007, the film was screened in the Camelot Theatres in Palm Springs, California.[12]

Reception

Box office

The film grossed $6,014 in its opening weekend, and totaled $8,593 in gross receipts over its theatrical run.[9]

Critical response

As of 2019 the film holds a score of 57 at Metacritic, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[13] In The New York Times, reviewer Matt Zoller Seitz criticized the film's writing and acting, but praised its narrative structure and its use of night-vision imagery as a visual device to contrast against everyday life.[11] In The Village Voice, F. X. Feeney lauded the "flawless cast" and the director's ability to make the film on a small budget, but observed that the film required a "David Lynchian leap of faith" in the middle of the story.[3] Writing for The Austin Chronicle, Josh Rosenblatt called the film "an odd little movie" and noted that it successfully portrayed some of the mental states of returning soldiers but focused too much on Jesús' inner thoughts.[1] Justin Chang, writing for Variety, praised the film's topical coverage of the government's "exploitation of immigrant soldiers", but concluded that the film was "barely coherent and structurally all over the map".[2] A Los Angeles Times review by Michael Ordona similarly focused on the political message of the film, noting that it asked important questions about the value of citizenship and whether veterans can ever recover from war.[14]

Accolades

References
  1. Rosenblatt, Josh (March 23, 2007). "G.I. Jesus". The Austin Chronicle. Retrieved July 8, 2019.
  2. Chang, Justin (June 13, 2006). "G.I. Jesus". Variety. Retrieved July 8, 2019.
  3. Feeney, F. X. (March 27, 2007). "G.I. Jesus". The Village Voice. Retrieved July 8, 2019.
  4. Whipp, Glenn (January 26, 2007). "'G.I. Jesus' soldier wanders in psychic desert after Iraq". Los Angeles Daily News. p. U9.
  5. Ratliff, Larry (March 23, 2007). "Low budget hampers 'G.I. Jesús'". San Antonio Express-News. p. 7H.
  6. Ward, Lee (June 29, 2006). "Former Ashlander gets role in indie movie". The Daily Independent. Retrieved July 8, 2019.
  7. "Unknowns get their shots on local shoots". Variety. June 22, 2006. Retrieved July 8, 2019.
  8. Kay, Jeremy. "GI Jesus takes grand jury prize at CineVegas". ScreenDaily. Retrieved July 8, 2019.
  9. "G.I. Jesus". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved July 8, 2019.
  10. Ordona, Michael (March 30, 2007). "'G.I. Jesus,' worthwhile vet tale, back in theaters". Los Angeles Times. p. E13.
  11. Zoller Seitz, Matt (April 5, 2007). "At War With Absurdity". The New York Times. Retrieved July 8, 2019.
  12. "Desert's Community Connection". The Press-Enterprise. August 7, 2007. p. B02.
  13. "GI Jesus". Metacritic. Retrieved July 8, 2019.
  14. Ordona, Michael (January 26, 2007). "The high price of serving your country". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 8, 2019.
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