There are similarities to Hamlet, though it's not an exact replica: The tormented main character, instead of the Prince of Denmark, appears in the form of a mentally retarded man born to a cruel father and mother in a rural Southern setting. He, like Hamlet, is faced with a big decision, one that the "ordinary" folks are unwilling and incapable of making, and for which he is totally unprepared..or so it would seem. His retardation renders him "youthful" though he is advanced in physical age, so he is ill-equipped for the huge life issues forced on him. Even the royalty of the Old World can be seen in shadowy form in the Deep Southern town where the Aristocracy once ruled over its Plantations, and which now has no grandeur remaining, and little sense of direction. How similar to the corrupt kingdom of Denmark which faced Prince Hamlet!Though dark, the movie has many heart-warming and humorous moments. A humbling experience to watch, it's one of my favorite films of all time. I LOVED this movie and enjoy re-watching the excellent and unforgettable performances. Bob

I saw this movie when I rented a DVD that came with a lot of brief "movies" such as this. I wonder if it was done to show the head of a studio what a great feature length movie this would make. I enjoyed the short story format and was impressed with Molly Ringwold's acting.

Billy Bob Thornton's screenplay manages admirably to catch the inevitability of violence in impossible family situations. The question one might ask is: who has been wronged most? You simply can not lock up a child in a shed for years and expect it to act rationally. George Hickenlooper does well to restrict his staging to a cool minimum. The actors get more space that way. Molly Ringwald, J.T.Walsh and Billy Bob Thornton are equally good in this gripping short. Although I'm not certain whether I agree with Hickenlooper's choice of two-shot for the interview scene -B.B.Thornton shot the same scene almost completely in close up for his SLING BLADE; and to good effect- his decision to use black and white photography was a wise one. This kind of film is not a dime a dozen, it should be treasured.

I'm going to have to go out on a limb here and say that I enjoyed "Sling Blade" far more than this short, which preceded the feature film by three years. Maybe it was the snotty, hands-on-hips, childish performance by Molly Ringwald that bothered me here. Or maybe it was the horribly stereotyped view of the residents of what, in the full-length, Karl calls the "nervous hospital." Yes, the short strongly resembles the opening of the full-length film, but I think it's weaker in many ways. The cinematography is better in the feature film (and I have no problem with black and white); Molly Ringwald's performance really sours the whole 25 minutes; and left on its own, this opening really implies things I don't like. Rather than actually speculating on how Karl will deal with living unsupervised, it seems to portray all the residents of the hospital as soulless victims. I'm not sure what I'm supposed to feel at the end of the film. At the end of "Sling Blade," I felt I had gotten to know a man. At the end of "Some Folks Call It a Sling Blade," I just thanked my lucky stars that Billy Bob Thornton decided to direct a version of it himself.