Faith in Film 4, The Real "Get Low"

Last night we had a chance to see the film "Get Low." It's a fascinating character study full of some quirky characters, led by Felix Bush (Robert Duvall). What's even more fascinating is that the film is inspired by a true story.


In 1938, in Roane County, Tennessee, Felix Breazeale (pictured above) threw himself a funeral party while he was still alive. Breazeale was a skilled craftsman who made his own coffin and perched beside it as guests came to mourn and wish him well at his funeral party. It is estimated that nearly 8,000 people, many of whom didn’t even know Breazeale, attended the affair. While that part is rooted in history, the context of this story are fictional. The depiction Murray offers of the lonely funeral director is a fabrication, and the backstory and inciting incident for Felix Bush offered in the film are also a work of fiction.

The producers said the movie was inspired by true events, but is not meant to be a docu-drama. The real Breazeale had a negative reputation. He never married and there are no reports of a long-lost love, as in the film. According to reports, “The real Breazeale had a sketchy reputation around town, and was arrested and charged with murder in the late 1800s. He was later acquitted, but the stories about Breazeale remained.” He died about five years after his funeral party, and reports indicate there was little fanfare and scant attendance at his actual funeral.

“Get Low” isn’t interested in a factual exploration of real life, rather it is a fictionalized story of a character that borrows from actual historical events. That’s what makes it a fascinating film, the story that they are shoshowcasing and the issues they are tackling. Felix Bush in the film is a haunted man. As he sees his days getting fewer, he feels a great need to atone; to let the world know how sorry he is for his role in negative events in his life; but he doesn’t know how to go about it.

I can't wait to dive into those themes next week!