The Devil and Daniel Johnston
A compassionate archival portrait of Daniel Johnston, tracing how homemade songs and drawings became an enduring outsider-art legacy amid severe mental illness.
Overview
A poignant exploration of creativity and mental health through the eyes of a troubled artist.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- None
- haunting
- tender
- eccentric
- reflective evening
- music documentary night
What critics said
Critics broadly found the film fascinating, sincere, and respectful in its portrait of Daniel Johnston's artistry and mental illness.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Daniel Johnston's drawings, homemade cassette songs, religious imagery, and cult reputation are examined alongside his mental illness.
Johnston's boombox tapes, drawings, and personal materials provide an unusually direct record of his creative life.
The film explicitly explores bipolar disorder and schizophrenia while honoring Johnston's artistic agency and complex behavior.
Cassette recordings, personal artwork, archival footage, and intimate interviews shape the film's tactile portrait of Johnston.
Films like The Devil and Daniel Johnston, and why
Searching for Sugar Man
intimate music documentary portrait blending archival material, creative process, and mental health themes
Youwontmissme: The Man Behind the Music
empathetic documentary portrait of an idiosyncratic musician whose outsider artistry attracts devoted admirers
A Skin Too Few: The Days of Nick Drake
experimental music documentary using archival recordings and personal history to examine artistic identity and psychological struggle
Movie Details
- Director
- Jeff Feuerzeig
- Release Date
- 2006-03-31
- Runtime
- 110 min
- Rating
- 7.7 / 10 (147)
Cast
- Daniel Johnston
- Bill Johnston
- Margie Johnston
- Mabel Johnston
- Jeff Tartakov
- Kathy McCarty
- Dick Johnston
- Laurie Allen
- Sally Johnston Reid
- Gibby Haynes
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Devil and Daniel Johnston about?
- A compassionate archival portrait of Daniel Johnston, tracing how homemade songs and drawings became an enduring outsider-art legacy amid severe mental illness.
- What is The Devil and Daniel Johnston like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Devil and Daniel Johnston as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is The Devil and Daniel Johnston violent?
- No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in The Devil and Daniel Johnston.
- What did critics think of The Devil and Daniel Johnston?
- Critics broadly found the film fascinating, sincere, and respectful in its portrait of Daniel Johnston's artistry and mental illness.
- Which films are like The Devil and Daniel Johnston?
- Films with a similar feel include Searching for Sugar Man, Youwontmissme: The Man Behind the Music, and A Skin Too Few: The Days of Nick Drake.
- How long is The Devil and Daniel Johnston?
- The Devil and Daniel Johnston runs 110 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Devil and Daniel Johnston?
- In United States, The Devil and Daniel Johnston is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home.
