The Keeper movie review

MOVIE TITLE: The Keeper

This dramatic and touching movie, based on a true story about a veteran, releases on Video On Demand Veterans Day Weekend November 8, 2024.

RATING: R

LENGTH: 1 hour 41 minutes

MOVIE REVIEW MOM GRADE: A

IN A NUTSHELL:

The story is about a veteran who battles depression. He decides to bring awareness to veteran suicide by hiking the Appalachian Trail from Maine to Georgia, while carrying 363 name tapes from the uniforms of other soldiers who committed suicide after returning home.

The movie was directed by Angus Benfield and Kendall Bryant Jr. It’s about the touching, true experiences of Veteran George Eshleman from the U.S. Marine Corps. Screenwriting credits go to Veteran Todd Tavolazzi of the U.S. Navy. Hooah! Thank you, all for your service to our country.

Already, the film has won a dozen awards from various film festivals, including “Best Picture”, “Best Song”, and “Best Veteran Film”. Congratulations to the team! We get to see photos of the crew at work during the final rolling credits.

The director explained that the vision for The Keeper was “to retain the authenticity of the story and its environment and to not over-stylize or sanitize the substance of the story or the setting of is world.” Mission accomplished. The film felt very grounded and focused.

THINGS I LIKED:

The director, Angus Benfield, also stars in the movie as the protagonist. He’s believable and instantly someone you root for.
I love that the cast and crew included quite a few veterans.
This isn’t a big Hollywood production. Its small budget and cast size are perfect to tell this intimate story of individuals’ struggles. The earnest and sincere cast also features Michael Maclane, Haley Babula, Nicholas Asad, and Andrew Ferguson.
Gorgeous cinematography of the Appalachian Trail from Maine to Georgia by Richard Galli.
This movie really hit me because of one of my sons is currently in the Army. He loves the brotherhood that exists in the military. The story is about George Eshleman who served in the U.S. Army.
The director did a great job of blending the military community with the hiking community.
This movie is ALL heart.
We all feel sorry for the veterans who committed suicide, but the movie also does a good job talking about the cowardice and selfishness of killing one’s self without thinking about what their loved ones will go through in the aftermath.
I’m always amazed at people who have the time to hike the whole trail in one attempt.
The ending is very sweet and has a powerful message for all of us.
Before the rolling credits at the end, we see a list of all of the names George Eshleman carried during his 2,189 miles of walking across the Appalachian trail. Appropriately, the song “Taps” plays respectfully while we try to grasp what all of those veterans must have endured and suffered.
As the credits continue to roll at the end, we get to hear an inspirational song called “Keep On” written and performed by Ruth Benfield and Scott Oatley.

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE:

I would have recommended that the film take on a different name since so many other films have already used “The Keeper”, but it’s the trail name that George Eshleman is given by other vets who were hiking the trail. If you were hiking that trail, what trail name would YOU give yourself?
In some scenes, it’s hard to understand what everyone is saying.

TIPS FOR PARENTS:

A young woman takes a cigarette away from a man to prevent him from smoking. He says to her, “You just saved me about 6 minutes of lung life; I appreciate that.”
A man tries to kill himself with a gun.
There is some profanity, including an F-bomb.
Talk of suicide.
Talk of rape.

THEMES:

“No one walks the trail alone.”
Hope
Healing
Depression
Trust
Military service
Raising awareness of veteran suicide. We learn in the film that 22 veterans commit suicide every day. That’s outrageous and completely unacceptable. We can do better than that for them.
PTSD
Challenge, hope, and inspiration…the trail will provide.
Service to others
“Left, right. Left, right. One foot in front of the other.”

INTERESTING LINES:

“I guess we’re all here because it connects us all in some way.” – Sophie Champoux (Haley Babula)
“That’s a lot of mental weight to be carrying around too.” – Michael “Mini Mi” Blanco (Michael Maclane)
‘One step at a time.” – The Keeper/George Eshleman (Angus Benfield)
“So, what are you hiding, if I may ask? We’re all guilty of hiding something, not from others but from ourselves. You know, those things that keep us up at night.” – Vietnam Veteran Steve (Fred Robbins)
“The trail provides.” – Sgt. Wade Baker (Nicholas Asad)
“As a veteran, you’re never alone anywhere. You gotta remember that and live it…even off trail.” – Sgt. Wade Baker (Nicholas Asad)
“Curiosity and survival are one and the same, my friend. You have to keep surviving to see what’s next.” – Sgt. Wade Baker (Nicholas Asad)
“The past will only cloud your solution for the future. The most important question you can ask now is “How can I fix this?” – – Sophie Champoux (Haley Babula)