Review of That Evening Sun (2009) by Alex B — 05 Jul 2013

Although William Faulkner wrote a memorable short story which shares the title of this movie, the film is actually based on a story by William Gay called, "I Hate to See That Evening Sun Go Down." I have not read Gay's story; nevertheless, I feel comfortable guessing that like so many movies based on literary works, the power of the original story came from the inner life and thoughts of the protagonist and supporting characters. Simply watching the actions of the actors play out onscreen becomes an empty exercise when you don't know what they are thinking and where they have been.

I can certainly understand why Hal Holbrook took the part. In the role of Abner Meecham, Holbrook gets to inhabit a haunted character whose present and future are such that even a past full of regrets and mistakes becomes food for nostalgia.

But we only get glimpses of who this character really is; this is also true to Meecham's nemesis, Lonzo Choat. This is a problem.

The success of these types of stories where strong characters go head-to-head and there is no room for compromise, it is vital that the audience becomes invested in the characters. And considering that the elderly Meecham is a widower with a disloyal son who has forced him to move into a nursing home after secretly selling the old man's beloved farm, Meecham instantly becomes the underdog we want to root for.

But the title of the movie isn't, "An Unexpected Triumph." And since we understand that the main character is fighting a losing battle, it becomes unbearable to think that Choat, the stereotypical Southern "white trash" slightly sadistic drunk, is going to win. At this point, sitting through the movie can seem masochistic: there has to be a payoff.

We need to be surprised by the characters: not by whatever shocking actions they may take out of desperation (too predictable) but by their humanity, pathos, and whatever humanity they have left.