That Evening Sun (2009)

A moving if too-leisurely paced effort that benefits immeasurably from the superb performance by its 84-year-old star.

It's hard to believe, but Hal Holbrook, one of the stage and screen's enduring talents, has never had the solo lead in a feature film. That has been duly rectified with the actor's achingly memorable star performance in the superb That Evening Sun.

Halbrook absolutely nails the lead role of Mr. Abner Meecham, the headstrong farmer whose lips can’t form the words “give up.”

Watching Holbrook, I was reminded again of how steady and valuable this man has been throughout his career.

Holbrook makes Abner a shining-eyed, noble crank.

There are a lot of grace notes in That Evening Sun, including Barry Corbin's hilarious work as Abner's neighbor, a vivid sense of landscape and a visually arresting climax.

Hal Holbrook strips the stereotype of the grumpy old man of sentimental shtick and cutesy old-codger mannerisms.

Deliberately paced, richly atmospheric drama also boasts first-rate work by a splendid supporting cast and impressive production values.

There is a predictability to the story, but that's OK. The acting is superb, Holbrook in particular, making That Evening Sun an understated pleasure.

More than once, the director inserts a gooey flashback to a tender moment between the farmer and his late wife (Dixie Carter) that not only extends an already overlong movie, but also fatally undercuts the artful rigor of its leading man.

The movie "That evening sun" is an interesting drama that was made in 2017, I liked the movie. In my opinion, the strong point of the film is its content, which is taken from a literary story. The actors are good, but I didn't like the decoupage of the director. The camera movements are not good, Also, flashbacks have not worked well in the narration of the film. But on the other hand, the choice of location is good, and it is in line with the theme of the movie. The film has been welcomed in festivals and has attracted the opinion of experts and the general audience also connects with the film. Overall, the movie is good.

A so-so story **** old man wanting to take back his farmland from a "white trash" family whose patriarch has a bad reputation. Acting was fine, but the story line is not quite the best. Mia Wasikowska did a great performance of playing an American teen when she is actually Australian.