New Film Paints A Picture Of Oklahoma As Seen By Tulsa Native

By Joshua Brakhage, The News On 6

UNDATED -- It's not the Oklahoma we see every day, but one Okie's perspective on his home state is hitting theaters. 

There are plenty of familiar faces -- Edward Norton, Richard Dreyfuss, Susan Sarandon and a few familiar places. There's an airport meant to look like Tulsa's, Little Dixie down in the southeast corner of the state.

But "Leaves of Grass" paints a picture of Oklahoma most of us have never seen. A summary of the movie reads: "It's a twisting narrative… merging crime drama, drug comedy, classical philosophy and sudden violence." 

Or from the writer-director's point of view: home.

"I really put everything I know and love about my home state into this film," said Tim Blake Nelson, writer and director.

Nelson has been making movies since 1997. The native Tulsan says Oklahoma is more than what most people expect.

"Every state in the country is its own exotic enclave. And if you grew up in a state in the middle of the country and you're attuned to the specific nature of that state and the different nuances, I think it can be as exotic as doing a film in Berlin or Paris or Singapore," said Nelson.

The red carpet premiere was in New York City. "Leaves of Grass" is only in a few theaters. It comes out on DVD nationwide in April.