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August Evening (2007)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:23
Fresh:21
Rotten:2
Average Rating:7.1/10
Consensus: Brad Eska's debut feature is a simple but compelling film, with strong performances and a story that moves along slowly but never fails to engage its audience.
Theatrical Release:Sep 5, 2008 Limited
Synopsis: August Evening follows an aging undocumented farm worker named Jaime and his young, widowed daughter-in-law, Lupe, as their lives are thrown into upheaval. Lupe is more of a daughter to Jaime than... [More]
Starring: Pedro Castaneda, Veronica Loren, Abel Becerra, Walter Perez
Director: Chris Eska
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Reviews for August Evening
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Click to read the article Full Review |
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 B |
Loren has an ethereal presence that is, at the same time, indomitable. Full Review |
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Jaime and Lupe are vividly realized, sympathetic characters. Full Review |
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Eska’s tale of a woman’s unconditional support of her father-in-law is told with a faux-poetic sensibility that never really connects with his characters’ lives. Full Review |
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4/5 |
This quiet, contemplative gem of a film paints a painfully accurate portrait of familial love, loss, and healing-by-degrees among the migrant communities bordering San Antonio. Full Review |
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3/4 |
(Pedro) Castaneda, the male lead in Chris Eska's mesmerizing debut feature August Evening, has the kind of natural, hypnotic screen presence that cannot be taught. Full Review |
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4/5 |
A poignant film filled with ample rewards for those who submit to its leisurely pace and gentle observations. Full Review |
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3/4 |
August Evening creates a complete world, with all of its practical limitations and emotional possibilities, for Jaime and Lupe to hunt for their place in. Full Review |
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Eska, who wrote and edited his film, appears to be at the beginning of a good career. Full Review |
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4/5 |
A mature move for a debuting filmmaker. Full Review |
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5/5 |
A shooting star of a movie with awesome beauty in its characters, in the natural world, and in the cycles of creation and destruction depicted in the emotionally affecting drama. Full Review |
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3/4 |
Pedro Castaneda, a nonprofessional appearing in his first film, and Veronica Loren tug at your heartstrings with their portrayals of the lead characters. Full Review |
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Castaneda [star]...gives a towering, Robert Duvall-style performance as a granitic man in late middle age whose internal world of pain and love and knowledge occasionally flickers to the surface. Full Review |
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B+ |
The story sometimes moves at a crawl, but always the filmmaker follows the pair with unobtrusive attentiveness to conflicting cultural and generational pulls. Full Review |
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2/5 |
As the movie inches along, its virtues turn into faults. Its elliptical style leaves unanswered questions, the pace begins to feel choppy, and the lyrical pauses become a recurrent tic.
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B |
Rich in atmosphere and family values. Full Review |
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B- |
Although its plot has its share of melodramatic twists and tearful revelations, August Evening focuses on the moments between, the mundane interactions that make up a life. Full Review |
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4/6 |
August Evening succeeds as both intimate human drama and a probing exploration of the nature of family. Full Review |
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[Director] Eska manages to superimpose downtrodden personalities on an authentic setting, making it a compelling exercise in atmospheric storytelling. Full Review |
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Perhaps Eska didn't have to write all of his characters into overlapping crossroads of crisis, but he's more nuanced than overt, and his cast (especially Loren and the nonprofessional Castaneda) sells it. Full Review |
CommentLatest News for August Evening
October 05, 2008:
Trailer & Poster review 
More...
September 09, 2008:
NYT Counts Five to Watch from Toronto
According to the New York Times, the brightest stars of the Toronto crop include Sally Hawkins, Pedro Castaneda, and Kat Dennings. More...
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