‘Jesus’ Son’
This 1999 adaptation of National Book Award-winning author Denis Johnson’s collection of short stories about a drifter (Billy Crudup) is a bit of a curio, but worth digging into. Director Alison MacLean is unflinching in the way she depicts the rituals of her heroin-addicted cast of characters, who also include Michael Shannon, Samantha Morton, Jack Black, Denis Leary, and more. The film evokes a very unique, almost otherworldly vibe — grey gloominess mixed with euphoric rushes, sprinkled with a healthy dose of pitch black comedy — that is very much like the time-period it takes place in (the early ’70s).