Men Go to Battle (2015)

Men Go To Battle is the story of two brothers struggling to hold their crumbling estate together outside a small Kentucky town in the fall of 1861.

Director:

Zachary Treitz

Writers:

Kate Lyn Sheil, Zachary Treitz

Stars:

Charlotte Arnold, Steve Coulter, Samantha Jacober

2 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Charlotte Arnold	...	Sissy Hamblin
Steve Coulter	...	Mr. Small
Samantha Jacober	...	Mary Gupp
Emily Kicklighter	...	Woman on Porch (as Emily Hyberger)
Rachel Korine	...	Betsy Small
Stephanie Love	...	Sarah
David Maloney	...	Francis Mellon
Emily Cass McDonnell	...	Rachel (Woman in Cabin)
Timothy Morton	...	Henry Mellon
Delilah Rose Pellow	...	Lilly
Annalese Poorman	...	Mrs. Small
Morgan Raque	...	Warren
Turner Ross	...	Valentine Atkin
Kate Lyn Sheil	...	Josephine Small
Peter Smith	...	Union Soldier

Storyline

Kentucky, 1861. Francis and Henry Mellon depend on each other to keep their unkempt estate afloat as winter encroaches. After Francis takes a casual fight too far, Henry ventures off in the night, leaving each of them to struggle through the wartime on their own.

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Plot Keywords:

post punk | kentucky | battle | rural setting | wealth | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | History

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Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 September 2016 (USA)

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$2,087, 10 July 2016

Gross USA:

$17,950

Company Credits

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min

Sound Mix:

DTS SDDS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Director and co-writer Zachary Treitz based the story on his own family history. His ancestors settled an area of Kentucky similar to the community portrayed in the movie. He and co-writer Kate Lynn Scheil (who also plays Josephine Small) extensively researched local history from the period and read actual letters and diaries to get ideas.

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Quotes

[in the middle of an epic discussion about the weather]
Henry Mellon: Either way, it was clear and chilly for two days after that, and in between we had a frost and - What you're not remembering was there was a warm day when it was clear and warm, and it got nice and warm in the afternoon. Real nice. We was outside all day and didn't need a jacket.
Betsy Small: I'll have to think about it. Can you hold these?
[She gives Henry her gloves]
Henry Mellon: Sure.
Betsy Small: What happened to your hand?
Henry Mellon: Oh, I was - got a cut on it.
Betsy Small: Goodness! Are you all ...
[...]

User Reviews

Superb!!!

Not only the best 'indie' I've ever seen -- by FAR -- but one of the best historical movies I've ever seen. For an hour and a half I really felt like I'd wandered around rural America during the Civil War.

As the previous reviewer commented, this is a movie about textures, not plot. The dialogue is spare, very spare; the accents feel authentic, so much so that there are moments when it's hard to make out what they're saying -- but it doesn't matter. Plot points, such as they are, don't come out in dialogue as much as through the flow of images. Nobody talks about relationships -- they don't talk much at all, which feels 'right' for the place and time -- rather, we sense the relationships through how people look at each other, how they react, wordlessly, to each other's behavior.

The casting is excellent, too. With one minor exception, all the people in the film feel like figures from that era. This is a very hard thing to achieve, you really have to work hard to find actors who don't have that contemporary energy -- but they pulled it off.

It's involving, it's seductive in how it reels you in, it's just all-around impressive as hell.

One bit of advice: if at all possible, do not wait for this to appear on DVD or streaming video. GO SEE IT in a theater, it will be a much better experience.

Honestly, I haven't been this impressed with something in ages.