The Devil and Daniel Johnston

Raised in a devoutly religious family, Daniel Johnston was a precocious child growing up in the 1980s. He immersed himself in drawing superheroes and song writing, endlessly recording his efforts in his own bedroom. Just as he was on the verge of success, his already fragile mental health broke down and he was diagnosed as a manic depressive. For next couple of decades, it took a terrible toll on his creativity, his family, and his sanity, and yet his songs have been praised by Sonic Youth, Tom Waits, and The Simpsons creator, Matt Groening, whilst Kurt Cobain famously wore his t-shirt to the 1991 MTV awards.

Jeff Feuerzeig's compelling documentary is a sympathetic portrait of a troubled personality, as well as a thought-provoking study of the long perceived link between madness and genius. Winner of the Best Director Award at The Sundance Film Festival, The Devil and Daniel Johnston has been assembled using hours of home video footage, as well as performance footage and interviews with family, friends and admirers, who have witnessed Daniels frequent descents into personal Hell. In fact, in his darkened moods, his fundamentalist upbringing gives birth to his fears of Satanic forces at work, condemning Metallica and defacing the Statue of Liberty with graffiti.