SCREENING SCHEDULE
Sun, Jun 24 / 7:00pm
Majestic Crest Theatre
$11.00
Mon, Jun 25 / 4:30pm
The Landmark (Pico & Westwood)
$11.00
August Evening
USA, 2007, 135 min
In English and Spanish with English subtitles
World Premiere
Directed By: Chris Eska
Writer: Chris Eska
Producers: Connie Hill, Jason Wehling
Cinematographer: Yasu Tanida
Editor: Chris Eska
Music: Windy & Carl, Takagi Masakatsu, Jonathan Hughes, Mono
Cast: Pedro Castaneda, Veronica Loren, Abel Becerra, Walter Perez, Sandra Rios, Cesar Flores
Jaime is an undocumented worker at a Texas chicken farm. His days are filled with the back-breaking monotony of factory work, but his private life with wife Maria and widowed daughter-in-law Lupe is rich with affection and the understated security of having people to come home to. But when tragedy leaves Lupe and Jaime with only each other, they are forced to seek out a new home and redefine their notions of family.
Chris Eska's feature debut is a delicately drawn portrait of an American family. Seamlessly merging meditations on poverty, grief, and familial bonds, Eska allows his incredibly talented cast of mostly nonprofessional actors to tell his story in subtle, affecting performances. Yasu Tanida's photography is equally impressive, his camera drifting gracefully, capturing the beauty of both urban life and Texas countryside. But more than anything it's the seemingly inconsequential scenes that set Eska's work apart from similar stories. As Jaime and an old friend share a roof-top drink and muse about life back across the border or Lupe's budding romance with a kind-hearted suitor takes shape on a ferris wheel, the fabric of a family comes together in meticulous, finely woven threads.
August Evening emerges as a poised and thoughtful glimpse into the life of a family trying to hold things together by finding comfort in small moments and loving gestures.
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Maggie Mackay
