Country Boys

Country Boys is an inspirational and gripping coming-of-age story about two boys from Eastern Kentucky’s Appalachian region. Building on the intimate portraiture that earned The Farmer’s Wife national acclaim, filmmaker David Sutherland interweaves the distinct narratives of two at-risk adolescents grappling with and overcoming daunting emotional and physical obstacles related to their unique family lives and the economic circumstances of this region. At the same time, their individual stories offer valuable insights into the universally complex problems that face all teenagers and those who love and support them.

Cody Perkins and Chris Johnson are classmates at The David School, a private alternative high school. While they inhabit the same world, they are light years apart. Over six hours of compelling television which covers a three-year time span, Country Boys puts viewers inside the skin of Cody and Chris, and traverses the emotional terrain of two boys searching to find meaning and a sense of belonging amidst many burdens. Cody finds it through his heavy metal Christian band, his growing faith in God, and his relationship with Jessica. Chris, however, struggles to find similar comfort. Torn between devotion to his family and a desperate need for an education, he searches, often in vain, to find a path where he can meet all his family responsibilities without losing his sense of self.

Country Boys is an intimate and universal coming-of-age story that speaks to the seemingly insurmountable struggles of being a teenager. Its depth and scope have potential appeal to anyone who has found himself or herself caught in the twilight of adolescence and has emerged triumphant.