Poverty and drugs haunt a tapped-out Appalachian mining town in Braden King’s intriguing drama, “The Evening Hour,” which opens Sept. 3 at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln’s Mary Riepma Ross Media Arts Center.
Continuing is “Together,” a film that examines an intimate relationship through the pandemic lockdown.
In “The Evening Hour,” the autumnal mountains of southern Appalachia hold a haunting power within which Cole Freeman (Philip Ettinger of “First Reformed”), maintains an uneasy equilibrium, looking after the old and infirm in the community while selling their excess painkillers to local addicts to help make ends meet. When an old friend, Terry Rose (Cosmo Jarvis, “Lady Macbeth”), returns with dangerous new plans that threaten the fragile balance Cole has crafted amidst the addiction, economic stress and environmental devastation that have his declining mining town in a stranglehold, his world and identity are thrown into deep disarray. Life is pushed even further out of balance by the sudden homecoming of Cole’s estranged mother, Ruby (Lili Taylor, “The Conjuring”), increasing conflict with the region’s true drug dealer, Everett (Marc Menchaca, “Ozark”) and shifting relationships with two local women. Faced with an impossible set of choices and intensifying pressure from all sides, Cole soon decides that he has to take action to save the tight-knit fabric of family, friendship, land and history that binds everything and everyone he loves.
“The Evening Hour” is showing at the Ross through Sept. 16. It is not rated.
“Together” is he hilarious and heartbreaking story of a couple forced to re-evaluate themselves and their relationship through the reality of lockdown. She is a charity worker, a coordinator for all of Europe at a refugee charity. She’s the daughter of a dentist father and an ‘”old socialist” mother — the only grandparent still around. He, meanwhile, is a self-employed, self-made man who runs a boutique computing consultancy. He’s been forced to furlough his staff and take up growing vegetables — something he’s very proud of. Artie is their 10-year-old son and the one thing that has kept his parents’ relationship together — until lockdown.
“Together” is showing through Sept. 9. The film is rated R for language.
Show times are available at the Ross’ website, by consulting the newspaper, or by calling the Ross film information line at 402-472-5353.
