1 hr 38 mins, screening as part of the BFI London Film Festival til 19 October

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Bittersweet, understated story will resonate with fans of amateur sport.

The warm tones of mid-autumn foliage are on full display in Eephus, set in a small town in leafy New England. In a fun coincidence (pointed out to us beforehand by director Carson Lund, at the BFI London Film Festival screening I went to yesterday), the all-in-one-day story is actually set on 16 October – the very same date as our screening. But Eephus rewinds the clock 30 years to offer us a snapshot of 1990s suburban America, through the lens of amateur sport.

As the players from the Riverdogs and Adler’s Paint baseball teams pull up to the pitch, their car radios offer a local headline: their game will be the very last to ever take place at Soldiers Field. The pitch is due to be turned into grounds for a new school, and with the nearest alternative several towns over, this spells the end for their local league. The last hurrah starts unceremoniously, but when the game begins to draw on beyond its normal time limit, it becomes clear how reluctant the men are to say goodbye. As the light fades, both teams determine to carry on to the bitter end. 

The brief Q&A following my screening revealed Lund to be a baseball fan, though that much was clear from the film itself. It’s obviously made with a great love for the game, which will resonate not only with baseballers but devotees of any team sport. From the camaraderie between the teams and players, to the faithful elder fans, to the dedication in the face of a complete lack of talent, this film really gets to the heart of what many find appealing about amateur sport. This obvious familiarity with the subject matter allows Lund to make some accurate and poignant insights that form the film’s key themes.

With most of the players already middle-aged by the film’s 1994 setting, they haven’t grown up in a culture where forming intimate male friendships is easy to do. It’s clear that this amateur baseball league fills an otherwise empty space in their lives, so the fact it’s about to disappear lends the film a sense of melancholy but also a sweetness and a warmth. The true friendship between the men is effectively portrayed not through grandiose gestures (for example, the film has a refreshingly minimalistic score) but off-handed comments and understated moments. Off-camera insults and dug-out chats show a casual intimacy between the players and the film captures the sense of community that forms around amateur teams. For example, some of the most moving scenes surround the wonderful character of Franny (played brilliantly by Cliff Blake), the ageing supporter and stats man who diligently records every play of the game by hand. Franny’s faux commentary bookends the film, and his palpable desire to be involved shows how much his small bubble of socialisation is reliant on this sport. As someone who’s been involved with several sporting clubs over the years, I’ve known plenty of Frannys, and this was a perfectly drawn character.

Though the film is moving in an understated way, it’s less subtle in its comedic moments, and it’s properly funny. It’s a concept that inherently lends itself to comedy, from the interactions between the motley crew of players to the inevitable pratfalls of those who love sport but aren’t particularly good at it. Plenty of credit has to go to the cast, who are fantastic. It’s largely a group of unknowns (at least to this non-American viewer), but each character has a truly distinctive look that gives the whole film a naturalistic feel – they all really seem like they have just been plucked out of small-town America.

Naturalism was obviously something Lund was deliberately striving for; it does really feel like you are watching an entire amateur baseball game take place. This approach is successful overall, but has some drawbacks. For example, the film relies entirely on the use of natural light. I think this works later in the film, when night falls – it’s atmospheric and reinforces how committed the players are for continuing into the darkness. However I think during the daytime scenes it just makes the film a little less cinematic. Eephus is also dedicated to accurately depicting the progress of a game of baseball, which makes some scenes a bit confusing for those of us unfamiliar with the sport. The film alternates between offering explanatory dialogue that’s obviously for the audience’s sake, and simply assuming we’ll pick up what’s going on (which I confess I didn’t always). This game-accurate depiction extends to the way the film effectively portrays the slowness of a real ball game; on the whole works well in creating a naturalistic, melancholy tone, but it does mean some bits tend to drag. Eephus is a meticulous ode to baseball, which I think baseball fans will love, even if at some points the film slightly suffers as a result. 

One of the questions at the Q&A after the screening was about the politics of this film, and Lund did highlight some themes around gentrification and American suburbia that he felt were present. However, I think Eephus’ strength lies in the fact that these themes aren’t overbearing (if indeed noticeable at all). This film specifically captures a moment in time, and doesn’t preach or draw conclusions; rather it invites us to share in the joys of team sport, and the sadness of a good thing ending.