HALE COUNTY this MORNING, this EVENING Ramell Ross' Award Winning Doc. that Leaves me at a Loss

"Hale County this Morning, this Evening" is the artfully shot, hypnagogic doc. that most critics will hail.  This critic says hell no, don't go to this interminable & somnambulistic doc. of an African Amer. community in a rural AL town.  Ramell Ross is a professional photography who went to Hale County to coach boy's high school basketball.  Ross remained in Hale County 5 years and his relentless and standoffish filming of the day to day morphed into a film.  There is lyrical beauty to the cinematography with stunning celestial shots, tempests brewing and life's yearnings that remained tethered and encumbered.   The film's loose structure with minimal dialogue and surreal sequencing  give the film a dreamlike quality.  However, individuals in the community become blurred and distant leaving the viewer detached & uncaring.  Ross' lens that creates a visceral response to scenes of earth, wind & fire. There are memes that re-loop;  religious faith, hoop dreams & youthful potential.  However, the cycle of poverty, teen pregnancy and apathy is mired throughout the lives of Hale County residents.  Ross relies on various artistic motifs, shadows, time lapse, sharp & obscure focus but he forges a chasm that distances the locals.  A sullen & sombre teen tells the camera "I'm living day to day, not going to worry about tomorrow, a day at a time."  HALE COUNTY lapses into surreal imagery that distorts reality and lingers on scenes of pent up charged energy.  Ross seems at a loss for a clear goal or objective to his doc.  He steps in front of the camera in one shot where he's speaking as a basketball coach to his player with constructive criticism and a stern warning.  I appreciate the artistic genius to Ross' craft but his lax of gravitas leaves the film to drift out of orbit.  "Where does time reside?"  In a perpetual picturesque stratosphere that resides in purgatory.  See HALE COUNTY?  Hell no!