The Wild and Wonderful Whites of West Virginia
| The Wild and Wonderful Whites of West Virginia | |
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| Directed by | Julien Nitzberg |
| Produced by |
Katie Doering Paige Hess-Hill Johnny Knoxville Julien Nitzberg Priya Swaminathan Storm Taylor Jeff Tremaine Jeffrey Yapp |
| Starring | Jesco White |
| Music by |
Deke Dickerson Hank Williams III |
| Edited by | Ben Daughtrey |
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| Distributed by | Tribeca Film |
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Release date
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Running time
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88 minutes |
| Language | English |
The Wild and Wonderful Whites of West Virginia is a 2009 documentary film directed by Julien Nitzberg, chronicling the White family of Boone County, West Virginia.
The film follows the White family over the course of a year in their daily life through first-person interviews. The film mentions the details of the death of patriarch Donald Ray "D. Ray" White, as well as his rise to stardom as one of the most famous mountain dancers of his time. The illness of his widow, Bertie Mae White, is documented throughout the course of the film. Locals consider Bertie Mae "The Miracle Woman" because of her lifelong dedication to raising abandoned children. Throughout the film, Bertie is seen supporting her family despite her intolerance of their dangerous and reckless behavior. The younger generations of Whites are followed to drug deals, criminal trials, hospital beds, and jail cells to recount the wild and outlandish events in their lives. A group of local professionals in Boone County act as a Greek chorus as they speak about the Whites, mostly criticizing their negative influence on the community.
Stemming from generations of coal miners working in risky job conditions, most of the White family possesses a fatalistic attitude and a lack of fear of death. Various members recall violent fights with neighbors, family members, and other locals. Other crimes include larceny, prescription fraud, shootings, armed robbery, forgery, stabbings, and parental custody. D. Ray worked in the coal mines during the scrip payment era; Mamie explains how D. Ray's frustration with his employers' corrupt practices led him to "outsmarting the system." D. Ray legally signed each of his children up for "crazy checks" during their early adolescence. Mamie discloses to the audience that each month, she (and all the other offspring of D. Ray and Bertie Mae) receive social security checks monthly from the government due to their inability to hold employment because of psychiatric disability.
Six of D. Ray and Bertie's 13 children are featured in the film.
The film received mixed-to-positive reviews, garnering a 63% "Fresh" rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
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