Themes: Death of a Child, Families in Crisis, Down on Their Luck
Main Cast: Robert Duvall, Jason Presson, Frederic Forrest, Glenn Close, Wilford Brimley
Release Year: 1984
Country: US
Run Time: 90 minutes
MPAA Rating: PG
Plot
In this tightly-wound, perceptive film, a young farm boy kills his older brother when a shotgun accidentally goes off then retreats into a shell of silence as his family seems to react against him. Arnold (Jason Presson) and his brother get up at the crack of dawn to go duck hunting, but their happy plans take a tragic turn when Arnold's shotgun gets caught in a barbed wire fence and accidentally goes off, killing his older brother. Arnold is in shock, he sits by his brother's side, he irrationally wanders in a pea patch, slowly picking the vegetables. When he finally goes home and manages to articulate what happened, his parents ignore him in their own grief. His father Joe (Robert Duvall) thinks Arnold does not have a clue about what he did because he just stands there, not speaking or communicating anything at all -- like a stone. Arnold's mother may not understand his behavior -- this is a Montana farming couple, not a pair of psychologists -- but she is not as judgmental as her husband. The family's grief causes some aberrant behavior, making the life of Arnold's next-door Aunt Lu miserable (her philandering husband is taking off after the dead boy's girlfriend), and Arnold senses a kindred spirit in the woman. But his grandfather is the only one who understands that the family should not mistreat Arnold, that he is suffering so intensely he simply cannot express it. When Arnold runs away, escaping to the city of Reno, there is some hope that the boy will find a much-needed emotional release. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
Review
Inspired by the financial struggles of the small family farm, a vital social and political issue in the United States at the time, Hollywood produced a spate of dramas in the mid-1980s concerned with the tribulations of heartland families. Somewhat atypical in its psychological emphasis, The Stone Boy (1984) was still firmly rooted in this category. The story of a Midwestern farm family nearly destroyed by grief, and a young boy's odd reaction to his culpability in his brother's accidental death, was based on a short story by Gina Berriault. The Stone Boy was praised for its spare dialogue, its frank, non-manipulative tone, and its remarkably beautiful location photography, all qualities that were hallmarks of the other films of its kind, which included Tender Mercies (1983), Country (1984), Places in the Heart (1984) and The River (1984). It was directed by Christopher Cain, who earned kudos in only his second outing behind the camera for his assured hand with the film's top-notch cast, which included Robert Duvall and Wilford Brimley. Both actors gave noteworthy performances as gruff, stoic country patriarchs, character types they often inhabited. The Stone Boy also starred Glenn Close, Frederic Forrest, and the impressive young Jason Presson as the film's mute hero. Smaller roles were filled by actress Gail Youngs, who was then Duvall's real-life wife, Linda Hamilton, and the director's stepson, actor Dean Cain, who made his feature film debut as the accident victim. Generous government subsidies eventually proved a short-term solution for the ailments of the family farm and the popularity of the breed waned, with only such occasional forays as Miles From Home (1988) and the PBS documentary The Farmer's Wife (1998). ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
Gail Youngs - Lu Jansen; Cindy Fisher - Amalie; Mayf Nutter - Gary; Susan Blackstone - Nora Hillerman; Dean Cain - Eugene Hillerman; Kenneth Anderson - Sheriff; Linda Hamilton - Eva Crescent Mood Lady; Ken Magee - Sam Sullivan; Ron Presson - Amalie's Uncle; Quentin Rhoades - Clint Mathews; John L. Strandell - Sheriff; Sharon Thomas - Casino Waitress; Mary Ellen Trainor - Doris Simms; Steve "Patalay" Tsigonoff - Barker; Pat Hustis - Man in Suit; Timothy Phillips - Chuck
Credit
Daniel M. Farrell - Associate Producer, Penny Perry - Casting, Gail Viola - Costume Designer, Christopher Cain - Director, Paul Rubell - Editor, James G. Robinson - Executive Producer, James Horner - Composer (Music Score), John Beal - Composer (Music Score), Mayf Nutter - Songwriter, Patricia A. Garhardt - Makeup, Joseph G. Pacelli Jr. - Production Designer, Juan Ruiz-Anchia - Cinematographer, Joe Roth - Producer, Josh Bleibtreu - Sound/Sound Designer, Gina Berriault - Screenwriter
