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AT THE MOVIES People on the Brink: A Man Contemplates End-of-Life and a Mother Faces Loss of Her Daughter to Drugs by Mike Canning
East of the Mountains
dog and offers hospitality to Ben. In her, he finds a cent example is the 2018 Julia Roberts-Lucas Hedgperson to whom he can talk and explore his fears at es film, “Ben Is Back” which showed the extremes of This is a film as character study. An older man at an the end of his life. parent paranoia and headstrong child. Now comes end-of-life crossroads contemplates his own demise “East of the Mountains” is based on David Gut“Four Good Days,” a parallel story where a mothin a world that has been comfortable for him. He is erson’s novel of 1999, set in the gorgeous Columer Deb (Glenn Close) must deal with her long-time Ben Givens, played by veteran actor Tom Skeritt in bia Basin, where the film’s spectacular landscapes junkie daughter Molly (Mila Kunis). his first leading role, moving through his beloved were filmed. Guterson, a SeThe struggle between the two, which originally attle native, has lived in Washappeared as an article by Eli Saskow of The Washington his whole life and has ington Post, is fraught with mistrust and wariness written about his state for and is hard to watch at times, but is redeemed by over 30 years. He is probably the performances of the two leads who convincingbest known for his early novly take you down the rabbit-hole of drug craving el, “Snow Falling on Cedars” (The film runs 100 minutes and is rated “R” for (1998), a runaway best seller subject matter and language; it opened at area thewhich was also made into a aters on April 30). Hollywood film (2000). Deb is a masseuse in a casino hotel, married Tom Skerritt was wholto her bemused second husband Chris (Stephen ly involved with this picture, Root). She has spent 10 years trying to affect her serving as one of the execu30-something daughter’s addiction to heroin. Nothtive producers. Long resident ing she has done has worked. The film opens with in Seattle, he had come to Molly, showing up unexpectedly back home, havTom Skerritt and his dog Rex roam the Columbia Basin in “East of know Guterson and his work ing run out of options where to go. Deb, who barethe Mountains.” so theirs is a natural collaboration. Known in the 1970’s as a good-huEastern Washington state as naturally as the running mored, rugged sidekick in many major movies of a chilly stream. The pace is unhurried—even prolike “MASH,” “Alien,” “Top Gun,” etc., here he tracted—but with enough incident to keep the viewclearly identifies with this mature character and er intrigued and sympathetic (The film runs 93 minshows a debilitated, but decent man contemplatutes and is not rated). ing his end. In a way, his demeanor fits the script Ben is a retired heart surgeon and bereft widfor a classic Western hero, laconic but intelligent, ower who learns he has terminal cancer. Determined skeptical but kind. It’s fitting to see him domito close out his days on his own terms, he shares nate a film at this stage of his life. the news with no one—not even his daughter René (Mira Sorvino). He travels back to his boyhood Four Good Days home, accompanied only by his loyal dog Rex, to Addiction is a long-time Hollywood theme for hunt pigeons one more time. He also has flashback built-in drama: an agonizing (sometimes excrucireveries about his earlier life with his cherished wife. ating) trial by the addicted character desperate for But things don’t go as he’d like. On the road, a high then going through withdrawal witnessed his truck overheats, but a kind couple picks him up by family or friend as the audience, wrenched by and delivers him to a familiar hill. He is sleeping the depiction, is in suspense as to whether the outside in a shallow cave when his dog is attacked character will triumph or relapse. Such a set-up by a vicious hound. Hitching a ride to a nearby can be particularly touching when the action plays town with a veterinarian practice run by the congeFrom left, Glenn Close (Deb) and Mila Kunis (Molly) in out between parent and child. One prominent renial Anita (Annie Gonzalez), who lovingly treats his “Four Good Days.” Photo from Vertical Entertainment 80 H HILLRAG.COM
