Hal Holbrook (All the President's Men, Into the Wild) stars as octogenarian Abner Meecham, a widowed farmer who has been confined to a nursing home by his lawyer son (played by Walton Goggins). When Meecham becomes fed up with the dull, meaningless life among aging strangers, he returns to his farm, only to find that it has been rented to a man he despises: Lonzo Choat (Raymond McKinnon), a disreputable "white trash" resident of the town who has unrealistic dreams of buying the farm and starting a new life for his wife (Carrie Preston) and daughter (Mia Wasikowska). Choat refuses to vacate the farm, Meecham moves into the sharecroppers' shed, and a battle of wills ensues.Holbrook's performance is mesmerizing – the audience drawn into his battle for the farm he built and tended for half a century, and despite the problems his age presents in managing the land, we want to know that he will succeed in achieving his goal of spending his last years at home. While other characters in the film see Meecham as stubborn, bitter, mean and just a little crazy, Holbrook's portrayal helps us see him as clever, wily and all-too-human as he not only battles for his independence but lives with age-old regrets.Each of the films main characters demonstrate for the viewer what can happen when compromise and communication are eliminated as elements in achieving a solution. Meecham understandably wants to go home, but cannot acknowledge that there is physical risk and financial concern in such a move; Choat wants a new life, but cannot see that such a goal will require more determination and planning than he is able to achieve; and Paul has little sympathy for his father and is locked into a sensible, cost-efficient solution in tending to his aging parent. We watch and hope for cooperation to take place; we think of options that never present themselves, and we wonder if we could do better if faced with similar circumstances.Director Scott Teems' ability to draw the viewer into this southern drama of wills (based on a short story by William Gay) is enhanced through detailed cinematography – close-up shots of elements of decay on the farm make us long for a solution that will reverse the deterioration; interior shots are musty – one can almost smell the dust and wood-rot of aging structures; scenes filmed at night capture the isolation of a farm where threats can be acted upon without witness; and daylight scenes are rich with color and lush greenery, making us crave the beauty serenity of life in the farmlands of Tennessee. Character portrayals are supremely convincing, and while we are prone to side with Meecham, we can also understand the struggles and desires of those others who hope to start over or do what is best under difficult circumstances.The winner of more than 40 awards and massive critical acclaim, That Evening Sun is a treasure among independent films that will linger in the hearts and minds of viewing audiences long after the films' end.

This movie came from nowhere for me here in Australa. Its a little middle-American indie film that I had never heard of until I saw it advertised on my upcoming orders list. I just finished watching it and it is a fantastic character study. It stars Hal Holbrook in one of the finest performances in his long and successful career. He plays an old man who walks out of his nursing-home and returns to the farm he owned for over 50 years only to find it occupied by new tenants. Being stubborn he squats in the old worker's quarters and wages a personal war against the new family. From there the film becomes a real examination of this old man's mind. He is at the narrow end of life and has nothing to show for it. Everything he knew was taken away and he is doomed to live the rest of his life with regret about many things in his life. Unbeknownst to him, much of his traits are reflected in his newly appointed enemy. Its a slow drama with moments of tension. The performances are exceptional and the relationship he has with his old neighbour is wonderful (some of the best scenes). Well worth a look.

Abner Meecham,who has been living in a nursing home,is unhappy & wants to live out his final days on the farm land where he had made his living for over 50 years. One day,he packs his things & just walks away from it all. Despite a first failure (where he is picked up by the police & returned back to the home),Abner,undaunted tries again,this time getting further,with the help of a taxi cab driver,to his old farm land. Problem is,the land & the house are now leased by Lonzo Choat,who Abner doesn't like,one bit. Abner takes up in the workers quarters,just off the main house,much to the chagrin of Lonzo, who wants Abner off of his property,a.s.a.p. The following makes for a tense tale,that you know is going to end up badly. Scott Teem ('A Death In The Woods','Roots') directs & writes the screenplay,adapted from the novel, 'I Hate To See The Evening Sun Go Down',by William Gay (the title of which is taken from a line in an old country blues song by Jimmy Rogers). This is a quiet little independent film that in the wrong hands would have turned out to be just another Southern exploitation film (like the kind of films produced by Harry Novak that used to play drive in's back in the 1970's that stereotyped all of the citizens of the South as back woods,slack jawed,inbred,boozing,village idiots that would have sex with farm animals,or family members,or all of the above),but rises above that. The great Hal Holbrook (forever known for his portrayal of Mark Twain on stage & screen)plays Abner,a man who just wants what is rightly his. Ray McKinnon is Lonzo,a man who is just dripping with contempt for Abner. The rest of the cast (unknown by yours truly)turn in shining roles on screen. This is a quiet,little "indie" that drew acclaim at the festivals,but probably won't get much in the way of main steam distribution (I got to see it at one of our cinemas that specializes in foreign & art films),but deserves better. Rated PG-13 by the MPAA,it contains some raunchy language,an unpleasant scene of domestic abuse & some minor adult content.

I've been looking forward to "That Evening Sun" for a while now, and not just because it was shot in the county and surrounding towns where I live here in Tennessee. My anticipation was largely because of Hal Holbrook, an iconic performer I have seen in his one-man "Mark Twain Tonight!" stage show, and who appears in occasional guest shots on TV where things must move very fast, and less often in film, where things are allowed to proceed at a more measured pace.I was not disappointed, the character study of Abner Meechum, the refugee from an old folks' home and renegade on his own property is rich, complex, and satisfying throughout. Admittedly it may not be a big stretch for Holbrook to play a cranky 80-year-old, but that doesn't lessen the impact of the performance at all.Surrounding him is a cast of surprisingly strong players: the antagonist Lonzo Choat (Ray McKinnon) is an especially worthy and believable opponent, and supporting cast Pamela and Ludie Choat (Mia Wasikowska and Carrie Preston) likewise hit just the right notes, tugging this farm county family drama at precisely the right pace. I especially enjoyed Barry Corkin, perfect in the Wilfred Brimley-esquire good neighbor role, and a special mention for the cameo by Dixie Carter, Hal Holbrook's wife in the movie as well as in real life.Where I saw the film, at a packed 1pm matinée, the audience laughed at several of the moments, self-reflective as they were of Tennessee rural life. I don't know that they would garner that kind of introspective appreciation in other parts of the country, but here, people know their country folk and can laugh with, rather than at them."That Evening Sun" is a simple yarn: Abner tires of life in a retirement home and returns to the farm he and his deceased wife occupied for most of their lives, only to find it occupied by a neer-do-well, but one with a property lease Abner's "guardian son" has approved. The story is more than the tug-of-war between owner and lessor, it is between hard-working- older and layabout younger, and between lives at noon and the sundown that inevitably follows. Taken from William Gay's short stories of Southern life, "I Hate To See That Evening Sun Go Down," it's the unraveling of a proud man in the twilight, as his own sun is setting, and his fight with the oncoming night.Hal Holbrook is a treasure. So is this film. It's Indie with a capital "I", an armful of festival awards, and, one hopes, a long run ahead.