It is impossible to deny that country music is one of the most popular genres in the United States, but, like most celebrities, few fans tend to look beyond the performative aspects of what it means to be in the public eye. Authenticity, whether it is the person performing or what the strict parameters imagined for the genre are, has become a major question for country as a whole, but what happens when the person behind the music changes, or experiences major life events that jade them? The movie Country Gold may have some answers to that question.
Country Gold is the creation of filmmaker Mickey Reece, who previously gained acclaim for his indie horrors Climate of the Hunter and Agnes. Country Gold made its debut at the Fantasia Film Festival in 2022, then continued to appear at other film festivals, like Fantastic Fest and the Glasgow Film Festival. The movie, after a brief theatrical run, will find a home on the streaming platform Fandor, where it has the chance to win over even more fans after its initial festival and theatrical runs. Those familiar with Reece’s work will notice some direct similarities to his movie Alien, which came out in 2017 and also had quite a bit of press.
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Mickey Reece’s Alien took on the topic of Elvis and Priscilla Presley’s marriage, which had its ups and downs due to the sheer nature of Elvis’ popularity. But in Country Gold, George Jones, a country icon, is the only real figure grounded in the main narrative. He invites a rising up-and-comer in the country music scene, the fictional Troyal Brux, for an evening in Nashville, which the youngster can’t help but to accept. It would seem foolish to turn down someone like George Jones. But throughout their evening together, some big revelations are going to be brought to the table, especially when Jones reveals he’s about to be cryogenically frozen the very next day.
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Country Gold thrusts the viewers into the life of its main character, Troyal Brux, immediately. The scene is laid out like it’s on television: a presenter introduces Troyal as one of the hottest singers in the United States, outselling the likes of his contemporaries Michael Jackson and Madonna. The scene cuts to an interview with Troyal, where he confidently declares, “You know, am I a policeman or fireman saving lives? Yeah, in a way. I’m saving souls with my tight-[expletive] voice.” Everything is going well for Troyal, who is the picture-perfect image of what a country star in the nineties should look like.
He has what seems to be endless opportunities, a career that’s only getting started, a serene family with two sons, and a nice home with the American flag proudly displayed on the front porch. What else is there he could wish for? Country Gold begins to pick up steam when he flies out to Nashville, where he is going to meet George Jones, an established legend in the country music scene. While Troyal is a fictional character, George Jones, as many country fans may recognize, was an actual figure in the music scene who died in 2013.
Troyal’s career is nowhere near what George Jones accomplished in his lifetime yet, but when he finally arrives in Nashville and meets Jones, the picture-perfect life of a country star, who often is performing authenticity to the max for the camera, begins to unravel. Over dinner, George reveals he is going to be cryogenically frozen. He reasons that because of his heart condition, which may ultimately kill him, he wants to be frozen and revived in a period when the condition is curable. George is unable to give up the fact that his career–and his life–is going to end, so he is desperately searching for an outlet to preserve his legacy.
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He is unwilling to put up with what Troyal currently represents: someone performing for masses of audiences, the literal embodiment of what a country star should act, speak, and present themselves to others on and off the stage. There may be ulterior motives as to why George invited Troyal to meet, but after their first initial dinner, the movie pivots. These two are in for a long night as they try to get to know each other, and, suddenly, everything we think we know as audience members is subverted when a naive Troyal realizes that the man he looks up to wants to be frozen.
Country Gold is very much about the journey of life and what led Jones to go and make this decision, and while Troyal cannot fully understand it right now, he might in the future. After all, he’s heading down the same path that George Jones departed on many years ago, and he has the power to not have as many regrets as Jones might end up with. Even if their night is laced with cocaine and some scenarios that probably would not fit into his squeaky clean family man image, he might have learned something that could change his life for the better. Or, if we’re taking the Garth Brooks inspiration literally, he might try to swap up the typical conventions of country music and spice it up in his way.
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One of the more interesting parts of Country Gold, outside the plot itself, is how the film unfolds throughout. There is a mix of mediums presented in the storytelling – for example, when George Jones and Troyal meet for the first time over dinner, the scene cuts away from them in real-time and introduces illustrations, which are in a mix of color and black and white. These unique characteristics of Country Gold are unexpected, but a welcome addition. It subverts the expectations of what this movie is going to be like, adding a deeper layer to the commentary it gradually introduces into the fold.
The black-and-white cinematography, introduced after the initial interview scene in color, adds even more nuance to all of this. Black and white films evoke a sense of nostalgia for some viewers, when the Golden Age of Hollywood was in full swing, adding to the sense that these events happening in the movie are of the past. The movie takes place in the nineties, but men and artists like these often are a time capsule of their era – for every Troyal Brux and George Jones of their generation, there will be another equally talented and popular country star of the next generation to replace them.
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Country Gold is not intended to be a straightforward biographical take on who George Jones was, especially considering Troyal is not a real person. He might be a star in the world of the movie, but in reality, he simply does not exist. This is where the film shines–by allowing itself to shed the elements that could be more biographical when it comes to the actual Jones, the characters feel real as they interact. There are plenty of references to movies and real life, making them feel genuine as characters, versus two men who have happened to land on a straight shot to fame.
The film gives space to acknowledge them as people, not just celebrities that have made it, allowing them a platform to be vulnerable. In the age of the Internet, when it becomes so much easier to follow a celebrity’s life on Instagram or other social media platforms, creating an endless loop of comparison and declining mental health, this form of vulnerability is what makes celebrities more authentic at the end of the day. While this movie might land as a piece of fiction for many, it offers valuable lessons in how to look at and think about the world despite the surreal, more out-there elements of its plot.
A fan of Jones might not be as satisfied with the outcomes of Country Gold, but film lovers would enjoy the themes and visual storytelling going into the movie. Not only are the shots set up to be striking, but combined with the black and white cinematography it creates more questions and subtly enhances its themes. That does not mean the film is for everyone – some may not be a fan of how forced it seems at times, no matter how easily the dialogue flows between characters. Those with an astute eye might notice the direct reference to Garth Brooks with Troyal Brux, but, if one is not in the loop, then quite a bit may fly over their head.
Country Gold is out on Fandor on April 4, 2023.
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