At the beginning of this poignant profile, we're told of a mysterious hitchhiker, a haunted stranger on the side of the highway with the batch of incomparable songs in his bag. Singer-songwriter Townes Van Zandt seemingly came out of nowhere in the late '60s, writing deeply personal, sometimes inscrutable songs that transcended all genres. While remaining a fringe figure commercially, he won devotion from Willie Nelson (who recorded his "Pancho and Lefty"), Kris Kristofferson, Emmylou Harris and Steve Earle among others. Artfully combining rare performance pieces, home movies, and interviews with friends and family, Brown and cinematographer Lee Daniel have fashioned an evocative piece that taps deep into the high and lonely spirit of Van Zandt's music, invoking the romance of a beautiful dreamer while showing the wreckage that trailed behind. 99 min.