Sometimes there’s no feel-good ending when the underdog stands up to the powers that be, no matter how terrible the injustice. In 2007, former child inmate Joseph Galloway became the face of all the victims at the Texas Youth Commission: The terrible beatings and sexual abuse he suffered at the hands of staff and inmates at the Giddings State School made headlines, and his case turned out to be the first few rounds in a grueling fight to fix a broken state agency. After the police investigations started, big promises were made by lawmakers about fixing TYC and making amends to the thousands of children who had passed through its locked gates.
Category Archives: Austin Film Festival
Review: Bloodworth (2010)
There’s always a sneaking suspicion that every touring musician is just running away from home. In Bloodworth, the longer they stay away, the more everyone gets hurt when they return.
Adapted from Provinces of Night, William Gay’s 2002 novel of the Tennessee back waters, Bloodworth walks a similar path to another of his recently adapted stories, SXSW 2008 award winner That Evening Sun. Both combine a slow-burn rural drama with an ensemble cast of rare authenticity.