Country Gold

Mickey Reece returns with a black-and-white comedy about masculinity, art, and legacy. Reece stars as Troyal Brux, a country music star with commercial appeal and a busy tour schedule who accepts an invitation from country music legend George Jones, played by Reece regular Ben Hall, for a night out on the town in Nashville. Little does Troyal know that Jones intends to cryogenically freeze himself in the morning. What follows is a night of booze, drugs, zealous fans, and discussions centered on the compromises demanded by commercial entertainment. It's an absurdist comedy laced with existential despair and a horror movie non-sequitur. It sounds like it just might be too much, but Country Gold is grounded in fundamental questions about what it means to create art. As the up-and-coming Troyal faces insecurities about his ability to impress George, the old legend simultaneously wonders if his increasing irrelevance means he never really had talent in the first place. (Fantastic Fest)