"That Evening Sun" Shines Bright

That Evening Sun, 2009

USA-Drama-110 Minutes-English

Directed By Scott Teems

Written For The Screen by Scott Teems

Based On The Short Story “I Hate To See That Evening Sun Go Down” by William Gay

Cast: Hal Holbrook (Abner Meecham), Walton Goggins (Paul Meecham), Mia Wasikowska (Pamela Choate), Carrie Preston (Ludie Choate), Raymond McKinnon (Lonzo Choate), Barry Corbin (Thurl Chessor)

"I Hate to See That Evening Sun Go Down" is the lengthy title of William Gay's short story of family, aging, and loss. And just as the title suggests, I hate to see the sun go down on Scott Teem's screen adaptation.

"That Evening Sun", written for the screen and directed by Scott Teems, features a stand-out ensemble cast lead by screen vet Hal Holbrook as Mr. Abner Meecham. The story opens as Mr. Meecham quietly “escapes” his nursing home to return to his family home on foot. When he finally makes it, thanks to his stubborn will, he is horrified to find that he has been the victim of an unspeakable betrayal: his son (Walton Goggins) has leased his house, land, and belongings to the family of Lonzo Choate (Raymond McKinnon), a man he views as no-good trash.

Determined to regain possession of his home, Mr. Meecham takes up residence in the tentant shack next to the main house and refuses to leave until the land is rightly his again. Lonzo maintains that he is living there legally and intends to buy the property at the end of the lease. A war of the wills ensues as Lonzo and Mr. Meecham set out to drive one another away from the coveted homestead.

The story is simple. In fact, the official tagline of "I worked too hard. And too long. I aint goin' down without a fight” just about covers the basics of the plot. However, in the case of “That Evening Sun”, it is not so much a question of what happens but rather where it happens and who is involved.

At times, the plot borders on the violent and bizarre. When Lonzo literally beats his wife and daughter with a rubber hose, Mr. Meecham flies out of the shack weilding a revolver and shooting at Lonzo's feet. Later, Lonzo kills Mr. Meecham's yappy dog as a grotesque warning and Mr. Meecham stuffs the dog and keeps it by his side as a creepy/humorous pet. However, these elements do more to highlight Lonzo's capacity for violence and Mr. Meecham's tenacity of will than they do to add any earth-shattering twists to the plot.

What the film lacks in complexity of plot and action, it more than makes up for with strong performances and meaningful relationships between characters. The small ensemble cast gives the film the feel of a theatrical drama where lines matter and each interaction contains vital clues to the past, present, and future of each character.

Holbrook is the obvious star of the film and communicates the grief that comes with aging in a way that resonates with anyone who has witnessed the dwindling of a loved one's body, mind, or independent life. Just the juxtaposition of his weakened body to his resolute will speaks of the tragic ways in which we become vulnerable as we age, and children become the parents and parents become children.

Ludie Choate, played by actress Carrie Preston, plays a slightly smaller role in the film than Pamela (Mia Wasikowska, title character of Tim Burton's recent Alice in Wonderland and slated to star in a Focus Features adaptation of Jane Eyre) or Lonzo, but offers a memorable performance as a woman who is torn between the need to hope that her husband can change for the better and the need to protect her daughter from his violence. As a native of Appalachia whose family has roots in the most rural parts of West Virginia, I was highly impressed by her spot-on Appalachian accent and the quiet dignity she offers as a woman of little means and little education who struggles to maintain the peace in her family.

Of all the relationships in the film, the one between Mr. Meecham and Pamela is by far the most endearing. When Mr. Meecham settles into the tenant house, Pamela immediately befriends the old man, asking innocently prying questions and lingering in his doorway. Her desire for company in her rural surroundings is palpable. Unlike most 16-year-olds, she still possesses a child-like naivety that Mr. Meecham pities, but is not quite ready to indulge. In one scene, Pamela talks about her upcoming date and how her father tells her that the boys only want to take advantage of her. Devoid of any other confidants in her isolated life, Pamela chatters on to an old man she doesn't know. However, she trusts in him as a protector of sorts, a man whose presence can shield her and her mother from the violent outbursts of her father.

Performances aside, the film excels at capturing “place” and virtually transports its viewers to the foothills of Appalachia. The crisp, clean cinematography provides glorious long shots of the landscape in between individual scenes. Cutaways of bugs flocking to a light and miles of empty rural roads unveil the textures of life in the sticks. You can smell the baking grass, taste the dust of the roads, and feel the stickiness of skin in the humid Appalachian summer.

In a way, the land takes on a life of its own and becomes a powerful character in the scheme of the film. It is the immovable object of desire of both Mr. Meecham and Lonzo. For Mr. Meecham, it is what he has worked for his entire life and the only thing he has left, besides the memories of his late wife. For Lonzo, it is a distant glimmer of hope for the future and he believes that finally owning a piece of land will validate him as a man, husband, father, and human being. For both of them, the land symbolizes freedom.

At a festival like Cannes where the foreign films with multicultural themes abound, I felt a little guilty seeing a film that premiered in Athens, GA, was directed by an Atlanta native, and takes place in my home region of Appalachia. It seemed to close to home. I even doubted whether or not it would stand up to the caliber of other films screening at the festival. However, as the last frames lingered and the credits scrolled by, I wanted to feel “That Evening Sun” on my skin again soon.