Emmy-winning filmmaker Jethro Waters brings his semi-autobiographical dark comedy to life in Gunfighter Paradise, a micro indie film with big ambition. Inspired by his childhood as the son of an Army veteran father and a free-spirited educator mother, Jethro was raised by a very contrarian couple. From this experience, he crafts a tight-knit, experimental film about God, guns, and the American South. Gunfighter Paradise was recently selected into the 2024 RiverRun Film Festival with more screenings taking place this weekend in North Carolina.

Starring Braz Cubas as Stoner, a camouflage-flanked hunter who never removes his face paint, the film begins just as Stoner returns home to North Carolina following the death of his mother. As he settles back into the familiar surroundings of family, he begins to have surreal dissociations, some of which include intense and erotic flashbacks and conversations with God. As he attempts to make sense of the nonsense, Stoner is also forced to deal with another unexpected turn of events: a mysterious green suitcase left to him by his Uncle, containing roughly seven million dollars. Once Stoner discovers that his mother left him hand-written riddles to decipher after her death, he becomes fixated on piecing the clues together. But he doesn’t go on this unholy journey alone. Strange visitors, including a cable guy, a mummified cat, and a stone-cold killer threaten to further impact his already fragile state of mind.

Watch the Gunfighter Paradise trailer here.

Making his narrative feature film debut, Jethro Waters’ Gunfighter Paradise is a poetic, trippy passage through the religious South. Baked in a strong visual style set to luscious and poetic descriptions of guns and ammo–something I never thought was possible until now–Gunfighter Paradise is gothic comedy done right. Intentionally dry dialogue delivery and an impressive score feel reminiscent of both Jim Cummings and David Lynch, two filmmakers with extremely specific and highly admirable cinematic canons.

Written, directed, shot, edited, and co-composed by Jethro Waters, Gunfighter Paradise is an equally beautiful and disturbing portrait of spiritual insanity. It offers a unique viewing experience into American psychosis and will no doubt leave a lasting impression on those who resonate with a religious upbringing.