Jimmy & The Demons

Jimmy & The Demons is a documentary directed by Cindy Meehl that follows celebrated American sculptor James Grashow as he embarks, at age 79, on what he privately calls 'the grand finale' — a monumental four-year commission to create an intricate wooden sculpture dubbed 'The Cathedral.' The piece, carved entirely from basswood, depicts Christ bearing the weight of a Renaissance-era cathedral on his back while demons claw at him from below, with 70 souls engulfed in flames at his feet. The elaborate interior features a hand-painted Eden mural, stained glass windows illuminated by electric bulbs, and a small praying figure hidden within. Twelve Apostle figures can be inserted into crevices on the exterior, and a bell crowned by a perched bird — symbolizing hope amid darkness — tops the structure. The sculpture is commissioned by Catholic art collector Michael Marocco for his private sculpture garden, creating a fascinating tension: Grashow is Jewish, and he reconciles this by invoking the meaning of 'Israel' — 'one who wrestles with God' — and describing the commission as a 'hineini' moment ('here I am'), representing full presence despite personal flaws. His daughter is a rabbi, adding another layer to this interfaith dimension. The film interweaves intimate footage of Grashow's painstaking carving process with archival material from his formative years at Pratt Institute and his six-decade career creating woodcuts, cardboard installations, and illustrations for publications like Rolling Stone, Esquire, and The New York Times, with work held by The Met and MoMA. Throughout, Grashow grapples with mortality and childhood demons, confessing that when sculpting demons he is simultaneously 'a little boy playing' and 'an old man being terribly afraid.' His wife Guzzy senses his time is running out. A planned retrospective titled 'Man, Mortality: A Retrospective' at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Westport loses its funding, leaving Grashow and Guzzy scrambling to preserve his life's work and legacy. The documentary features interviews with Guzzy, his children, fellow woodworkers, and community members he mentored, revealing his philosophy that 'the engine of creativity is play.' The sculpture ultimately becomes a self-portrait — a competition between light and darkness, a devotional tribute to life's joys and impermanence, confronted one demon at a time. Grashow passed away in September 2025, three months after the film's premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival.

Sources: IMDb, Tribeca Film Festival, The Forward, Moviejawn, High on Films, FirstShowing.net