THE DEVIL AND DANIEL JOHNSTON — *** — Documentary feature about musician Daniel Johnston; rated PG-13 (drugs, profanity, violence, gore, vulgarity, nude artwork).

"The Devil and Daniel Johnston" is every bit as peculiar as its subject, which is really saying something.

But that's not entirely surprising. After all, the film is a profile of troubled Texas-based musician Daniel Johnston, whose career began flourishing after the spread of his self-released cassette albums, but which subsequently imploded before he could really enjoy major-label success.

The nature and sound of Johnston's music is an acquired taste, and that also goes for director Jeff Feuerzeig's documentary — though the film is intelligent and approaches the various mental-health issues addressed here in a sensitive manner.

Feuerzeig examines the rise and fall of Johnston, an art-school dropout whose strong religious upbringing and odd romantic notions heavily influence his folksy songs. Johnston actually began his career by making art collages and films, eventually changing his focus to spoken-word recordings. He was "discovered" when a Texas-area music journalist was handed one of his self-produced cassettes.

From there, Johnston's star rose after an appearance on MTV, as well as the sight of Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain wearing one of his T-shirts. Unfortunately, the manic-depressive Johnston unintentionally sabotaged all that with a series of much-publicized arrests and a complete mental collapse.

Johnston's music makes the film a challenge for some; his rather adenoidal voice makes Bob Dylan's squeals sound like sweet choirboy choral work.

Feuerzeig tries to capture Johnston's peculiar personality and style. At one point, he even catches up with Butthole Surfers frontman Gibby Haynes while he's having dental work done.

"The Devil and Daniel Johnston" is rated PG-13 for some strong drug content (including references to LSD use and antidepressants), occasional use of strong profanity, some disturbing artwork containing violent and gory imagery, some crude and suggestive talk (and song lyrics), and glimpses of nude art and drawings. Running time: 110 minutes.

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E-mail: jeff@desnews.com