R | 1h 41m | Drama | 2024
There is growing divide in American society between those who served in the military and those who have not. Most Americans simply cannot relate to the experiences of returning veterans, nor do they know anyone who can. Presumably, this reality contributes to the alarmingly high suicide rate among veterans, or at least complicates efforts to understand the problem.
Sgt. George Eshleman understood those suicidal feelings only too well, because he shared them. However, he faced his demons by paying tribute to fallen comrades. Mr. Eshleman helps tell his real-life story as the co-writer of Angus Benfield and Kendall Bryant Jr.’s “The Keeper.”
With his best friend hooked up to life support after a suicide attempt that may yet prove fatal, Eshleman (Angus Benfield) is compelled to do something to both pay tribute to fallen veterans and draw attention to their pain. Even though he still smokes and generally is not in terrific physical shape, he plans to hike the entire Appalachian Trail while carrying dog-tag-like name tapes for 363 veterans who tragically killed themselves. He desperately hopes it will not be 364, though he also carries a name tape prepared for his comatose friend.
This trip is something Eshleman feels compelled to do, but Eshleman’s wife (Lindsay Weisberg) fears he might have suicidal intentions of his own. Although her fears are justified, four younger veterans also hiking the trail make it their business to look out for Eshleman each time their paths cross. They will also bestow Eshleman’s trail name (a nickname for use among fellow hikers), appropriately dubbing him “Keeper,” as in the keeper of the names.
Sgt. Wade Baker, trail name “Bacon” (Nicholas Asad); Sgt. First Class Anthony Barton, trail name “Taz” (Andrew Ferguson); and Lance Cpl. Michael Blanco, trail name “Mini-Me” (Michael Maclane) are always supporting and forgiving. However, Sgt. Sophie Champoux, trail name “Peanut” (Haley Babula) will push, challenge, and even humble Eshleman whenever he needs to remember his purpose.
“The Keeper” is a relatively simple story, but there is a bit of a twist at the end. It makes perfect sense in retrospect, assuming viewers did not already guess it. Shooting on location along the Appalachian Trail also gives the film an authentic sense of place that outdoorsy types should appreciate. Regardless, “The Keeper” resonates on a deep emotional level.
Vets Involved
Indeed, this is a heavy topic, but it is handled with great sensitivity. There was a good deal of veteran involvement in the production, which shows in the final product. In addition to Eshleman, Bryant is a Desert Storm Marine Corps veteran, co-screenwriter Tavolazzi is a Navy vet, co-editor Greg Cruser is also a Navy vet, and several Army and Marine Corps vets appear in smaller, but not insignificant supporting roles.Co-director Benfield is just achingly moving as the on-screen Eshleman. You might find plenty of more polished big-screen performances, but few will ever be as raw and unselfconsciously honest. Yet Babula might even be more devastating as the tough-talking, but acutely wounded, Sgt. Champoux, aka Peanut. Asad, Ferguson, and Maclane complement her nicely, and they have some pretty powerful moments of their own as Bacon, Taz, and Mini-Me, respectively. Plus, Marine Corps veteran Kameron Whitaker has a memorable scene as Cpl. Vincent Taaffe, trail name “Skillet,” another veteran hiker Eshleman meets along the trail.
This film will shatter your heart into tiny pieces and then put them back together again. The concern expressed in “The Keeper” is genuine. It is nothing like the disingenuous and opportunistic PTSD-themed “anti-war” films released during the War on Terror era, which suddenly stopped getting produced and released once America withdrew from Iraq and Afghanistan. “The Keeper” truly cares, so it maintains a scrupulously nonpartisan and nonpolitical stance.
This film will probably screen in military markets throughout the Southeast and Midwest, but it really needs to be seen in urban areas like New York City, where there is much less cultural affinity for military veterans. As a society, we must think about our veterans more if we want to do right by them. “The Keeper” will certainly make audiences do exactly that, because it is such a potent human-scaled drama. Very highly recommended.
