SLIFF 2009 Review: TOUCHING HOME

Whether you’re a baseball fan or not, TOUCHING HOME is a wonderful story and a great little film that’s appeared from somewhere out in left field. The film is inspired by true events, written, produced and directed by and starring the real life twin brothers Logan and Noah Miller. This pair of first-time indie filmmakers have really hit a home run with this movie that among other things, features a pretty impressive cast.

The story is about a pair of twin brothers who grew up together in a household run by their alcoholic father. Through the years, they’ve supported each other while taking care of their father who, if not working, was drinking. The brothers love baseball and play with a passion and seriousness that leads them to playing with the Colorado Rockies minor league system. When poor college grades and being cut from the roster ends their dreams of making it to the big leagues, the brothers reluctantly return home.

This doesn’t spell the end of their hopes to one day make it to the majors, a they agree to regroup back home and practice hard while working and saving their money to head back out to Arizona the following season for tryouts. The brothers begin work right away at the rock quarry that their father still works himself to the bone. When the twins’ father Charlie (Ed Harris) attempts to reconnect to his boys, a split is formed. Beginning as a simple disagreement over whether to associate themselves with the man that stole their childhood, replacing it with a responsibility to care for their drunken father, this rift quickly intensifies, threatening to destroy their dreams for good.

TOUCHING HOME is clearly a story told from the Miller brothers’ hearts. The film is saturated with a powerful honesty and openness that is a testament to the reality of what is unfolding on screen. Noah and Logan delivered commendable performances, given their first outing, but the sense that they were simply reenacting events that had taken place in their own lives adds to that understanding. Some of the scenes of conflict between to two brothers did feel a bit forced, especially the extremely emotional and angry moments, but once again the understanding of how personal a story this is allows for some leniency.

Perhaps the best element of TOUCHING HOME aside from the script would have to be the supporting cast. Robert Forster (JACKIE BROWN) has a small role as the town sheriff, but his character plays a crucial role as the glue that eventually helps to bring the end of the story together. Brad Dourif (Rob Zombie’s HALLOWEEN) plays Charlie’s handicapped cousin Clyde. Dourif is truly an under-appreciated maestro of character acting and delivers yet another unique and memorable performance as the child-like and lovable man who enjoys painting in the barn and whom Charlie has great affection for.

Ed Harris, as if I even had to tell anyone this, is incredible, as always. For some reason, he has a real knack for portraying alcoholic characters with severely complex internal turmoil. Previously dawning the whiskey bottle role as the artist in POLLOCK and later as a writer in WINTER PASSING, I can only hope this isn’t art impersonating Harris’ real life. In TOUCHING HOME, Harris gives a convincing performance as a man who simply cannot put down the bottle and works himself to death just so he can blow every penny on an equally destructive gambling addiction. The guilt and sense of helplessness that Charlie clearly feels about his own condition is made almost tangible by Harris’ subtle perfection of his craft.

Shot in California, where the story takes place, the setting feels very much like the rural Midwest, except for the redwood trees, where baseball is a dream for many young men. The vistas and landscapes filmed in TOUCHING HOME are beautifully picturesque portraits that add to the film, driven primarily by the writing and acting. There is a sense of comfort and warmth created by the cinematography that directly counters the emotions that embody the brothers’ return home and struggle to reconcile their relationship with Charlie.

Overall, baseball plays a relatively small role in this film, but still has a strong enough presence to please the average sports fan. The twin brothers are an inseparable team, pitcher and catcher, who support and encourage each other but find they need the town to help them back on track after family tragedy strikes unexpectedly. TOUCHING HOME has a genuine Hallmark sensibility of human drama and hope, without the sappy writing and unrealistic acting. Hands down, this is a film that anyone can appreciate.

TOUCHING HOME will screen at the Tivoli on Monday, November 16th at 7:00pm during the 18th Annual Whitaker Saint Louis International Film Festival.