FilmStubs: Vernon, Florida (1981)
A documentary on the eccentric residents of Vernon, Florida. (NR, 56 min.)
Showtimes
Wednesday, August 13, 2025
7:00 PM
The FilmStubs series is Free and made possible by a grant from Friends of the Library.
For more Springfield-Greene County Library events click here.
Reserve Seats Here.
*To accommodate seating capacity, ticket holders must check in no later than 10 minutes past the scheduled showtime. After this time, unclaimed reserved seats will be released to wait listed guests.
Vernon is a town in the Florida panhandle surrounded by swamps. Here, Errol Morris found the quietly fascinating subjects for the follow-up to his galvanizing debut, Gates of Heaven. As ever humane yet sharply focused, Morris lets his camera subjects pontificate and perambulate the environs of this seemingly unremarkable little community. The result is a strangely philosophical work that cemented its director’s standing as an important figure in American film. [Criterion]
Starring: Albert Bitterling, Roscoe Collins, George Harris
Director: Errol Morris
Genre: Documentary
"Engrossing and rather endearing"
— Annette Cardwell, Filmcritic.com
"Something truly special, both funny and moving, strange and captivating."
— Jade Budowski, Decider
"Morris' appreciation of small-town eccentricity paved the way for narrative films like Blue Velvet and Raising Arizona."
— Steve Erickson, Press Play
"Vernon, Florida feels more like an endearingly backwoods mélange, complete with possums, antlers and the tranquility of the southern swamps delicately shaded by the overlooking weeping willow."
— Jordan M. Smith, IONCINEMA.com
"This is Morris' only documentary shot mostly outdoors, capturing subjects in various environments, and it's frequently gorgeous, right from the opening sequence of an exterminator driving down residential streets spewing a giant cloud of pesticide."
— Mike D'Angelo, A.V. Club
"Vernon, Florida is an utterly captivating musing on the work of filmmaking, and the wandering that goes into choosing subject matter. Among the handful of residents that Morris gets on film, the central idea that all of them express is a sense of patience, and the importance of getting lost."
— Chris Cabin, Slant
Support for the Moxie
Become A Member
