THAT EVENING SUN (2010) (***1/2)

Hal Holbrook's career stretches back to the 1950s. Prior to his Oscar nomination for his touching performance in INTO THE WILD, he was an Emmy winner and a stage veteran. With that Oscar nod, he has become in more demand for movies and that is good for us all. He is the heart and soul of Scott Teems feature film debut, an adaptation of William Gay's I HATE TO SEE THAT EVENING SUN GO DOWN. Old curmudgeons are not new to film, but Holbrook puts us into one's shoes.

Abner Meecham (Holbrook) is an aging Tennessee farmer who has moved into a nursing home after an aliment. It's not for him so he just up and goes home. When he arrives at his house, he finds a family has moved in. Turns out his lawyer son Paul (Walton Goggins, THE BOURNE IDENTITY) has sold the farm out from under him. Making matters worse is that he's sold it to Lonzo Choat (Ray McKinnon, THE BLIND SIDE), a notorious ne'er do well from the town who Abner believes is trash. Choat lives there with his wife Ludie (Carrie Preston, TV's TRUE BLOOD) and teen daughter Pamela (Mia Wasikowska, THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT). Abner subsequently conducts a campaign of civil disobedience by moving into the slave quarters near the house.

Abner might have lost a bit in his step, but not in his mind. He worked extremely hard his whole life to keep his farm up and he has never had plans to leave. But now that decision has been stripped from him. He takes it as a slight to his manhood. His prickly demeanor might be amusing to an outsider or a friend like Thurl Chessor (Barry Corbin, NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN), but it didn't make him the best father to Paul or husband to his wife Ellen (Dixie Carter, TV's DESIGNING WOMEN). While he might not say them, he has his regrets. These resentments he takes out on Lonzo Choat.

But there are always two sides to the story. Lonzo has a past and he's a violent man, but he is trying. The farm means a new start for his family and a true effort to erase the bad rep he has established for himself. But there is Abner riding him at every turn. With his past, it's surprising he keeps his cool as much as he does.

Pamela finds Abner a great curiosity. She brings him food and tries to get to know him, ignoring his condescending attitude. He starts to warm up when he finds that she's useful to get under her father's skin. She mentions that he hates dogs, so Abner goes and adopts the loudest dog he can find.

While the film finds an ending, it's more of an ellipsis than an exclamation point. What we have come to is an inevitable conclusion to a story about two strong-headed men who have limited options. If you first look at Holbook's 80-something codger and McKinnon's beer-drinking redneck you might make judgments about who they are and how the story will play out. That would be too easy and this film is trying for something more. If the film is about anything, it's about fighting against the easy labels people try to put on us that rob us of our dignity.