Parable (2008)

Pioneering independent filmmaker Jon Jost offers a pointed metaphor for the crimes of the George W. Bush administration in this experimental drama. Jim (Ryan Harper Gray), a cocky man in a cowboy hat, leaves his wife on a whim and hits the road, catching a ride with Eddie (Tyler Messner), a stranger who has lost his driver's license and needs someone to drive his car. As the two men cruise down a cartoon highway, they sing songs, swap stories and talk about their love of freedom until Jim suddenly rapes and murders Eddie. ... Read More

Pioneering independent filmmaker Jon Jost offers a pointed metaphor for the crimes of the George W. Bush administration in this experimental drama. Jim (Ryan Harper Gray), a cocky man in a cowboy hat, leaves his wife on a whim and hits the road, catching a ride with Eddie (Tyler Messner), a stranger who has lost his driver's license and needs someone to drive his car. As the two men cruise down a cartoon highway, they sing songs, swap stories and talk about their love of freedom until Jim suddenly rapes and murders Eddie. The story then shifts to the relationship of two curious people -- a farmer (Stephen Taylor) keeps a woman who cannot speak (Rachael LeValley) as a slave, tying her legs together while he struggles to unknot a mass of rope. Personal and sexual tension colors the interaction between the farmer and his captive until Jim unexpectedly shows up. Parable, the third installment in an informal trilogy by Jost about the Bush years (following Homecoming and Over Here) was an official selection at the 2010 Cinequest Film Festival. Mark Deming, Rovi Read Less