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COUNTRY BOYS is an inspirational and gripping coming-of-age story about two boys from Eastern Kentucky’s Appalachian region. Building on the intimate portraiture that earned THE FARMER’S WIFE national acclaim, filmmaker David Sutherland interweaves the distinct narratives of two at-risk adolescents grappling with and overcoming daunting emotional and physical obstacles related to their unique family lives and the economic circumstances of this region. At the same time, their individual stories offer valuable insights into the universally complex problems that face all teenagers and those who love and support them.

Cody Perkins and Chris Johnson are classmates at The David School, a private alternative high school. While they inhabit the same world, they are light years apart. Cody is an orphan whose tragic circumstances began with his mother’s postpartum suicide. Twelve years later, his father murdered his seventh wife (Cody’s step-mother) and then turned the gun on himself. After being passed among relatives, Cody chooses to live with his former step-grandmother, Liz, who opens her heart and home to him. Cody’s handpicked family also includes his girlfriend, Jessica, and her parents, Ray and Tammy Riddle. Liz provides him with motherly love, a stable home environment, and daily words of encouragement. His relationship with Jessica provides him with an avenue to explore the depths of young love and affection. As their relationship develops, Jessica’s father, Ray, becomes a father figure for him. While a positive influence, Ray’s denial about his alcoholism becomes a cause for concern for Cody.

Meanwhile, Chris Johnson lives in a rundown trailer with his mother, a high school dropout who works as a maid at a local hotel; his father, who has been diagnosed with terminal cirrhosis of the liver due to alcohol abuse; his grandmother; brother and little sister. With both parents often absent, Chris, the eldest of three and barely 16 years old, finds himself thrust into the role of caretaker, emotionally and economically supporting his family on his meager SSI check and a string of low-paying jobs. As an academically bright student, he dreams of graduating high school and attending college, but the reality of his hard life often plagues him with self-doubt and destructive behavior.

Sutherland masterfully interweaves these narratives by inviting viewers into the boys’ classrooms, church and peer groups. These settings provide a crucial support system for Cody, and especially for Chris, in facing the choices ahead of them. Viewers meet the teachers, pastors, and caregivers and friends whose patience and quiet persistence is inspirational in the face of Cody’s occasional flares of temper and Chris’s frustrating pattern of self-defeat.

Over six hours of compelling television which covers a three-year time span, COUNTRY BOYS puts viewers inside the skin of Cody and Chris, and traverses the emotional terrain of two boys searching to find meaning and a sense of belonging amidst many burdens. Cody finds it through his heavy metal Christian band, his growing faith in God, and his relationship with Jessica. Chris, however, struggles to find similar comfort. Torn between devotion to his family and a desperate need for an education, he searches, often in vain, to find a path where he can meet all his family responsibilities without losing his sense of self.

COUNTRY BOYS is an intimate and universal coming-of-age story that speaks to the seemingly insurmountable struggles of being a teenager. Its depth and scope have potential appeal to anyone who has found himself or herself caught in the twilight of adolescence and has emerged triumphant.

COUNTRY BOYS is a co-production of David Sutherland Productions, Inc., and WGBH/Frontline in association with the Independent Television Service (ITVS) with funding provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting/PBS Program Challenge Fund. Additional funding is provided by the Island Fund at the New York Community Trust. The series is directed by David Sutherland. The executive producer for ITVS is Sally Jo Fifer. The Frontline executive producer for special projects is Michael Sullivan. The executive producer for Frontline is David Fanning.