The French filmmaker takes us under the skin of Jasper, Texas, the scene of the brutal slaying of James Byrd, Jr. This experimental approach to a place where a murder was committed rejects journalistic coverage as well as a clear story line. Instead, Akerman captures the town’s emotional state of mind, from interviews to literally drive-by observations. She slows down her camera, lingering on cotton fields and on trees swaddled in kudzu, taking full measure of this place. Well before Two Towns of Jasper examined its political realities, this beautiful, languid observational film made us feel what it is like to live in Jasper, and to breathe its air.