The Evening Hour

Dove Creek, West Virginia, was once a flourishing American mining town. Now, this post-industrial community is in decline. Cole Freeman (Philip Ettinger) works as a nursing home aide looking after the elderly, but he can hardly make ends meet even by dealing in illegal painkillers on the side. Like many of his generation, he is looking for a way out, but opportunities are few in this rapidly changing landscape. Cole belongs to a generation who feel trapped by a toxic combination of existential fear, lack of opportunity and powerlessness.

Debut screenwriter Elizabeth Palmore adapted Carter Sickels' novel of the same name into an empathetic drama about the search for meaning in times of economic disaster. Director Braden King brings this tale to life with calm staging, tender performances and passionate music. Although the makers paint a sombre picture of hard times in rural America, hope and spiritual redemption shine through in this intensely atmospheric film.

This film is also shown in the Big Screen Tour 2020.