January 11, 2001 -- "George Washington" is not a film about our first president. It is a film about the lazy, long days of summer in a run down semi-urban North Carolina Eden where children play away the last days of their lives as children. Adulthood, along with its worries, responsibilities, jobs, marriages and debt, all lie just over the horizon. They can see it coming, but it isn't here yet.

George (played by Donald Holden), is an awkward boy who has to wear a football helmet to protect his soft skull. He dreams big dreams for his future, but right now he would settle for a dog. His girlfriend Nasia (Candace Evanofski), likes him because he is different than the other boys, kinder and gentler, with a wisdom beyond his years. Another girl, Sonya (Rachael Handy), Vernon (Damian Jewan Lee) and Buddy (Curtis Cotton III), Nasia's ex-boyfriend, are part of a small group of children who play together in the local neighborhood of rusting railroad tracks, vacant lots, broken down factories and the other reminders of civilization past.

All of this is captured on film by Tim Orr with lush colors and a golden hue that makes everything look as if viewed through the eyes of children. To an adult, this is a depressing, even frightening landscape. To children there is mystery, freedom, excitement and the possibility of adventure. They know the secrets of this landscape in a way that most adults have forgotten. The adults in the film are mostly worn down by life or angry at it. For the children, there is still hope.

Then, one day, a tragic accident happens as the children are playing. Buddy falls down, strikes his head and dies. The rest of the kids try to cover up the accident. They hide the body in a place adults don't go. George, paradoxically, becomes a hero, and takes to wearing a cape and tights. Sonya worries only that she doesn't feel sorry about Buddy's death. The guilt bothers Vernon more and more as time goes by, like a growing cancer. He wants to escape to another planet. Childhood is ending.

Most of the characters are non-actors. Some of the dialogue is written, some is improvisation. The dialogue of the children is a lot more convincing than that of the adults. The pace of the film is slow, but it doesn't seem overly long. Many critics have compared the film's style to films like "Days of Heaven" by Terrence Malick. Writer, director, producer David Gordon Green certainly shows a lot of promise with this film. Green effectively creates his main characters and imbues the film with a powerful sense of place and mood. However, the film could sure have used a plot. This film rates a C+.

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