When I tell someone I'm from Florida, I usually receive a smirk and a crack about the internet meme “Florida Man” in response. I get it. Florida is a weird place full of flip- flops, alligator-skinned old ladies and bad tattoos, but when people mock it I can't help getting defensive. To me, there's so much more under that kooky surface. The state is a jumbled, sensitive place of untamable wilderness and inherent complexity.
I found myself back living in Florida not long ago and wanting to make a film that took on that idiosyncrasy. Driving from my parents' house on the A1A highway along the east coast, I stumbled upon the Daytona Beach Drive-In Christian Church. At first the idea of sitting in a car to go to church seemed deranged to me. What could be more vacant of spirituality and human connection than going to church sealed off in the most alienating of American inventions, your car?
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