Should you watch The Devil and Daniel Johnston?
Who it’s good for, who it isn’t, and what’s in it. No ratings, no scores.

The Devil and Daniel Johnston
Documentary · 2006
This 2005 documentary film chronicles the life of Daniel Johnston, a manic-depressive genius singer/songwriter/artist, from childhood up to the present, with an emphasis on his mental illness and how it manifested itself in demonic self-obsession.
The sides of The Devil and Daniel Johnston
- Daniel Johnston's home tapes and drawings
- A songwriter living with manic depression
- Parents caring for their adult son
The Devil and Daniel Johnston is good for you if…
- you love raw songs recorded on cassette in a basement.
- you want a close portrait of one fragile, gifted man.
- you like a life told through its own tapes and home movies.
The Devil and Daniel Johnston is bad for you if…
- you can't watch mental illness take hold of someone up close.
- you want a feel-good music story, and you get a hard and tender one.
About: mental illness · art · family
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