Child of God (2014)
Child of God (2014), directed by James Franco, starring Scott Haze and Wade Hunt Williams.
score
Murder is his salvation
Synopsis
A dispossessed, violent man's life is a disastrous attempt to exist outside the social order. Successively deprived of parents and homes and with few other ties, he descends to the level of a cave dweller and falls deeper into crime and degradation.
- Christina Alexandra VorosCinematography
- James FrancoDirector, Screenplay
- Curtiss ClaytonEditing
- Caroline AragonProducer
About the film
Child of God is a 2013 American crime drama film co-written and directed by James Franco, and starring Scott Haze, based on the novel of the same name by Cormac McCarthy. It was selected to be screened in the official competition at the 70th Venice International Film Festival and was an official selection of the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival. The film made its United States premiere at the 51st New York Film Festival and then was screened at the 2013 Austin Film Festival.
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Child of God is a 2013 American crime drama film co-written and directed by James Franco, and starring Scott Haze, based on the novel of the same name by Cormac McCarthy. It was selected to be screened in the official competition at the 70th Venice International Film Festival and was an official selection of the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival. The film made its United States premiere at the 51st New York Film Festival and then was screened at the 2013 Austin Film Festival.
Plot
Set in mountainous Sevier County, Tennessee, in the 1950s, Child of God tells the story of Lester Ballard. Ballard is a dispossessed, violent man whom the narrator describes as "a child of God much like yourself perhaps." Ballard's life is a disastrous attempt to exist outside the social order. Successively deprived of parents and homes, and with few other ties, Ballard descends literally and figuratively to the level of a cave dweller, as he falls deeper into madness, crime and degradation.
The film differs from the novel regarding the ending. In the end of the novel Ballard dies in a mental hospital while in the film he escapes from the lynching mob through the tunnels and walks through the Tennessee fields.
Cast
Scott Haze as Lester Ballard
Tim Blake Nelson as Sheriff Fate
James Franco as Jerry
Jim Parrack as Deputy Cotton
Fallon Goodson as Girly
Vince Jolivette as Ernest
Brian Lally as John Greer
Boyd Smith as Mr. Fox
Production
On September 14, James Franco announced at the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival that he was set to direct an adaptation of Cormac McCarthy's third novel Child of God.
In January 2012, it was announced that Scott Haze had signed on to play Lester Ballard, the film's protagonist. It was also announced that Tim Blake Nelson and Jim Parrack had signed on to play Sheriff Fate and Deputy Cotton, respectively. Production on the film began on January 31, 2012, in West Virginia.
Reception
Child of God has an approval rating of 42% on review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, based on 50 reviews, and an average rating of 4.9/10. The website's critical consensus states: "An obviously reverent adaptation that fails to make a case for the source material being turned into a movie, Child of God finds director James Franco outmatched by Cormac McCarthy's novel." Metacritic assigned the film a weighted average score of 50 out of 100, based on 17 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.
References
External links
Child of God at IMDb
Child of God at Rotten Tomatoes
Text from Child of God (film) on Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Child_of_God_(film)
Trivia
- It premiered on April 28, 2014, a Monday.
- It runs 1h44 — a typical feature length.
- This film's quiz has 14 questions — enough to play more than once without repeats.
Production
- StudiosRabbit Bandini Productions, Made In Film-Land
- CountriesUnited States
- LanguagesEnglish
- StatusReleased
More about this film
Based on
- Child of God
Set in
- Appalachian Mountains
Videos
Photos
Cast
-
Scott Haze
Lester Ballard -
Wade Hunt Williams
Narrator -
James Franco
Jerry -
Tim Blake Nelson
Sheriff Fate -
Jim Parrack
Deputy Cotton - Fallon Goodson Girly
- Vince Jolivette Ernest
-
Jeremy Ambler
Boy With The Rifle - Elena McGhee Lady In White
-
Coby Batty
Hunter -
Brian Lally
John Greer -
Nina Ljeti
1st victim - Ciera Danielle Sales girl
- Boyd Smith Mr. Fox
- Terrance Huff Fair Pitchman
- John Holt Preacher
- Madalyn Lester Nurse
-
Anna Kooris
Screaming lady
Quiz about this movie
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Tags
Crew
- Christina Alexandra Voros Cinematography
- James Franco Director
- Curtiss Clayton Editing
- Caroline Aragon Producer
- Miles Levy Producer
- Vince Jolivette Producer
- Aaron Embry Original music
- James Franco Screenplay
- Vince Jolivette Screenplay
Questions about this film
What is Child of God about?
Child of God: A dispossessed, violent man's life is a disastrous attempt to exist outside the social order. Successively deprived of parents and homes and with few other ties, he descends to the level of a cave dweller and falls deeper into crime and degradation.
Who directed Child of God?
Child of God was directed by James Franco in 2014.
Who stars in Child of God?
The cast of Child of God includes Scott Haze, Wade Hunt Williams, James Franco, Tim Blake Nelson and Jim Parrack.
How long is Child of God?
Child of God runs for 104 minutes, or 1h44.
What is Child of God based on?
Child of God is based on Child of God.
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Page updated on 09/13/2026.
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