2004
starring: Shane Ballard, Aaron Dunn, Warren Dearman and Charles Manson

directed by: Ron Tibbett

the plot: Meet Shane Ballard, a 22-year-old living in Lowndes County, Miss., the “buckle” of the Bible Belt. This shot-on-video documentary follows Shane’s campaign for county sheriff, in which he runs on a pro-pornography, anti-police harassment platform. Shane’s campaign is a disorganized, half-assed mess, much like the candidate himself, and the few voters he manages to talk to don’t seem all that thrilled about the prominence he gives pornography. But at home and off the campaign trail, Shane shows his other sides—a loyal friend, an eccentric outsider, and a boy still reeling from his mother’s unsolved murder more than a decade earlier.

why it’s good: “Citizen Shane” is about as underground as underground film can get, and though it looks shoddy and cheap, there’s a sort of raw emotion coursing through the movie that makes it impossible not to watch. Yes, it’s shot on video, but director Ron Tibbett’s tight pace and structure gives “Citizen Shane” an unexpected narrative structure. It’s also a weird-as-hell movie, with a star who is so eccentric that you’re at once repulsed and intrigued. Tibbett’s camera doesn’t flinch when he documents Shane’s life. It’s all on display, from the stacks of pizza boxes and other trash that litters Shane’s house to his collection of pop culture detritus and his bizarre museum of serial killer memorabilia. And speaking of weird: an entire 10-minute chunk of the movie is devoted to a recorded phone conversation between Shane and Charles Manson. The two chat about Manson’s musical career, the new songs he’s been creating, and, finally, the “injustice” Manson has faced from the legal system. Creeped out? You probably should be, but just when you’re ready to dismiss Shane as another lunatic, there’s a touching (though just as morbid) scene of him walking along the patch of road where his mother’s body was found. That sequence is also the heart of the film; Shane’s decision to run for sheriff seems to be nothing more than a chance for him to re-open the investigation into his mother’s murder, an investigation he says local law enforcement officials botched and ultimately covered up. Shane is strange, but he also has a sly wit and a creative streak a mile wide, and it’s easy to see how living in the “buckle of the Bible Belt” can take its toll on such an eccentric character. Tibbett died in a car accident in June 2004, just after the film came out. Two months later, Shane committed suicide, making him all the more tragic and enigmatic.

why you should own it: Tracking down a DVD copy of “Citizen Shane” may prove fairly difficult. However, you can download a copy of the movie at: www.subcin.com/shane.html.