After posting my other thoughts about this film, I did some quick searching and was pleased to find this interview with the director:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6FQ7F4zgFag

While viewing Hale County, the homage to/influence of Godfrey Reggio's work seemed obvious, but it was a real delight to hear it from the director himself. After watching this interview, I'm not sure I saw all he saw in the Trilogy, nor that he saw what I did (I see it as a scale piece more than anything else), but loved the common language and openness to dialog that exists there. Good stuff!