Caleb Landry Jones Reunites With Peter Brunner and Luc Besson on Passion Project ‘Down the Arm of God’ (EXCLUSIVE)

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Award-winning actor Caleb Landry Jones has teamed up once more with director Luc Besson, whom he worked with on the upcoming action thriller “DogMan” and the future film “Dracula: A Love Tale,” as well as Peter Brunner, who guided him in the experimental 2008 drama “To the Night.” They’ve been secretly developing a project they’re passionate about for several years.

For the very first time, the work titled “Down the Arm of God,” a collaboration between Brunner and Landry Jones, will be revealed. This powerful piece is filmed and set within the community of homeless individuals in Texas, with production set to conclude soon. EuropaCorp is handling production under Luc Besson’s leadership, while Landry Jones, Christian Sosa, and Jon Wroblewski, through their Roosevelt Film Lab, are also involved as producers.

The movie, debuting at EFM Berlin through Kinology, chronicles the journey of a young pastor (Landry Jones) in a small Texas town during a harsh winter. His mission to aid the homeless encounters opposition from his congregation, revealing ingrained prejudices and systemic flaws within their community.

As stated by the filmmakers, “Down the Arm of God” is deeply grounded in genuine interviews and personal experiences of homeless individuals surviving on the streets. This direct partnership allowed these people not just to be portrayed as subjects, but to significantly contribute to the movie with their unique insights gained from real-life situations. Consequently, alongside Landry Jones, several members of Texas’ homeless community take on significant on-screen roles. The producers emphasize that this is an effort to amplify voices that are often unheard and make it a cinematic act of advocacy and collaboration.

In conversation with EbMaster, Landry Jones, originally from Texas, expressed that the movie holds a deeply personal significance for him. He mentioned that he and Brenner have long sought a project to collaborate on, and this one felt particularly significant to them.

According to Brunner, it was the most beautiful experience, especially since reuniting with Caleb, and at the same time, the most complex film he’s ever produced – not because of collaborating with our homeless friends, but due to an overwhelming amount of rules and requirements they were subjected to. These constraints make evident the numerous extra hurdles they have to overcome just for being homeless. They are not given the same treatment as others.

For the past five years, ‘Down the Arm of God’ has been under production, with filmmakers delving into camps, outreach programs, and charitable endeavors to understand why many initiatives falter and how systemic issues often thwart those struggling. These insights guided and revised the script, aiming to present a truthful, unadulterated depiction of homelessness.”

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“Over the course of five years, ‘Down the Arm of God’ has been developed. The filmmakers have been deeply involved in camps, outreach programs, and charitable efforts to grasp why projects often fail and how systemic problems can hinder those in need. These realizations influenced and reworked the script, striving to provide an authentic, untouched portrayal of homelessness.

In their words, the purpose of the movie isn’t merely to dispute the stereotype that portrays homelessness as an individual shortcoming, but rather to shed light on the “exploitation and systemic flaws within charities and government agencies,” thereby positioning homelessness as a result of broader global systems.

Landry Jones stated, “We aim to challenge the public with their views and stereotypes. Working on this movie led me to uncover certain things I’d like to see eliminated.

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2025-02-13 17:19