Main Cast: Hal Holbrook, Ray McKinnon, Walton Goggins, Mia Wasikowska, Carrie Preston
Release Year: 2009
Run Time: 110 minutes
MPAA Rating: PG13
Plot
An aging farmer fights to keep the home that is rightfully his after fleeing from a nursing home and discovering that his son has leased the family farm to his old nemesis. Placed in a nursing home by his son and promptly forgotten, Abner Meecham (Hal Holbrook) realized that waiting to die was no way to live. Determined to enjoy his last days, Abner packed his bags and set his sights on the family farm. At least there he could die on his own land, in familiar surroundings. But Abner is in for a rude awakening, because upon returning home he discovers that his son has leased the farm to Lonzo Choat. Abner never cared much for Lonzo, and when Lonzo refuses to leave, Abner takes up residence in an old tenant shack on the property. Before long, their dispute becomes volatile, each man believing himself to be in the right, and refusing to back down from his position. Betrayed by his son and haunted by dreams of his beloved deceased wife, Abner draws a line in the sand in an attempt to reclaim his life. As threats are made and tension begins to brew, it's only a matter of time before the situation turns savage. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
Barry Corbin - Thurl Chessor; Dually - Nipper; Dixie Carter - Ellen Meecham; Jacob Parkhurst - Steve Goodwin, Jr.; Anthony Reynolds - Hollis the Phone Worker; Bruce McKinnon - Sheriff Roller
Credit
Anthony Reynolds - Associate Producer, Brandon Ward - Associate Producer, Emily Schweber - Casting, Jeanine Rohn - Co-producer, Alexis Scott - Costume Designer, Scott Teems - Director, Travis Sittard - Editor, Raul Celaya - Executive Producer, Adrian Jay - Executive Producer, Larsen Jay - Executive Producer, Michael Penn - Composer (Music Score), Linda Cohen - Musical Direction/Supervision, Walton Goggins - Producer, Ray McKinnon - Producer, Laura Smith - Producer, Terence Berry - Producer, Carl Rudisill - Sound Mixer, Jim Hawkins - Sound Mixer, Lonnie Smith - Stunts Coordinator, Scott Teems - Screenwriter, Raul Celaya - Executive in Charge of Production, Alistair South - Music Editor, Hal Holbrook - Musical Performer, Jimmie F. Rodgers - Musical Performer, Patterson Hood - Musical Performer, Drive-By Truckers - Musical Performer, Mari James Turner Wilson - Script Supervisor, Katherine Bomboy - Still Photographer, Jen Levy - Casting Associate, William Gay - Short Story Author
That Evening Sun is a 2009 film based on a 2002 short story I Hate to See That Evening Sun Go Down by William Gay. The movie, produced by Dogwood Entertainment, stars Hal Holbrook as Abner Meecham and is directed by Scott Teems who also wrote the screenplay. That Evening Sun premiered in March 2009 at South By Southwest, where it received the Audience Award for Narrative Feature and a special Jury Prize for Ensemble Cast. Joe Leydon of Variety hailed it as "an exceptionally fine example of regional indie filmmaking," and praised Hollbrook's performance as a "career-highlight star turn as an irascible octogenarian farmer who will not go gentle into that good night."[2]That Evening Sun also was screened at the 2009 Nashville Film Festival, where Holbrook was honored with a special Lifetime Achievement Award, and the film itself received another Audience Award.[3]
Abner Meecham (Hal Holbrook), an aging Tennessee farmer discarded to a nursing facility by his lawyer son, flees the old folks home and catches a ride back to his country farm to live out his days in peace. Upon his return, he discovers that his son (Walton Goggins) has leased the farm to an old enemy and his family. Not one to suffer fools or go down easy, Abner moves into the old tenant shack on the property and declares that he will not leave until the farm is returned to his possession. But Lonzo Choat, the new tenant, has no intention to move out or give in to the demands of the old man. This sets up a ruthless grudge match between Abner and Choat, each man right in his own eyes, each too stubborn to give an inch. Angered by the betrayal of his son and haunted by recurring dreams of his long-dead wife (Dixie Carter), Abner sets about his own path toward reclaiming his life. Lines are drawn, threats are made, and the simmering tension under the Southern sun erupts, inevitably, into savagery.
