
Synopsis: On the eve of their cherished ball field’s destruction, a group of men involves itself in a baseball game. As night falls, the memories of humor and history as A time have come to an end.
Carson Lund’s skillful Eephus is insincerely described, but it is the best thing that has ever happened to the director because it can only be shown in North America during the 62nd New York Film Festival Main Slate. It seems, at first glance, the film is about two amateur baseball teams who are coming to the beloved Soldier’s Field for the last time; the place is going to be demolished after decades of its existence as a pastime area. While discussing a radio broadcast that was done a long time ago, we learn this: “The field was clearly out of our days. The place offered huge recreational activities for decades.” These were voiced by none other than legendary documentary filmmaker Fredrick Wiseman who has a very unique way of interacting with his audience who directs them in drama questions: Will you think about missing that place? Or would it be worth the drive to a more distant field? This is where the movie Eephus tries to explain how it extends itself beyond the usual sports genre. The last baseball battle over a tarnished old field’s honor stands among lonely American towns. The last baseball teams fight against the bulldozer, but the town is totally unmoved. The plans are made, the framework and the orders are set into motion just waiting for the coming days. The film captures a poignant moment in time regarding how this last game intimidated around in the misty cold. But isn’t there something exactly spellbound about or for baseball? Perhaps there is, but there’s certainly none for this expansive cast. And they are keen to point it out.
There was no doubt that the physical toll of spending years if not decades at Soldier’s Field took a toll on these people, but they are not ready to quit just yet. Jared Lund believes they came for one more game, and in this final game, his audience will see these characters as flesh and blood three-dimensional people but as total strangers as well, who enter the diamond with little in the way of pomp and circumstance and leave just the same way. This should be difficult for a film that is as much concerned in freezing a sport in motion but Eephus makes the effort to concentrate upon an altogether different aspect, that troubling and fickle aspect of existence where expectations are altered to such an extent or so suddenly that it evokes confusion.
I will be the first to admit that I do not follow baseball very closely if I follow it at all. However, I have to say that my appreciation of it has recently increased. This is largely thanks to John DeMarsico, the New York Mets Game Director at SNY. DeMarsico is an avid film buff and a lot of what he has been doing organically in terms of content in live telecasts has added a lot of pep to the creative process. If the phrase involves imagery of Kill Bill or The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly, somewhere in this head, DeMarsico is extracting the aesthetic and sentiment from what others might consider unremarkable. Most would probably find the viewpoint of ‘Eephus’ to be somewhat rote in a few aspects. But that is intentional! It honors the rather composed spirit of baseball and elevates it in much the way that DeMarsico seems to be doing with the live broadcasts. In one of the interviews, DeMarsico explains how broad every game’s narrative plot can get “You don’t know what the storylines are going to be, but every game has its own isolated little story that you can tell. It’s just a matter of finding it every day.” However, as it turns out, the beauty that Lund has developed into a storyline exists in Eephus.
Lund and cinematographer Greg Tango as well as DeMarsico have added not only perspective to the baseball game telecast in Mets games but also have decorated the game with his touch of art in Eephus. It has received appropriate recognition among other games televised. Yes, it may be just an informal contest between neighbors and a few acquaintances, but it’s much more than that. This signals the conclusion of an epoch, and hence the dugout is depicted here with all the charm and magic that are typical of the average baseball game. From under the armpit of a leading runner to the center of the screen over the head of a person at bat, on the pitcher’s mound, Tango has been able to create a sense of reality necessary for the fundamental aspect of the game of baseball being played. However, Tango’s craft was never emphasized because part of the joy of Eephus is how amidst the passion of creating this film, the players heroically come together as one, and that is what makes it inspiring.
As was explained beforehand, many of these players have been coming to Soldier’s Field for some time now. They all have their fair share of jibes for each other and more than enough grievances to spare regarding etiquette and overall ability. One would assume that these gentlemen have come to be familiar with each other over the years. At first glance, that is a reasonable assumption. The more likely scenario? They do know each other but only at the most basic level and the applicants’ level is even doubtful in some cases. Baseball is a game played in sequences that are separated from each other by a series of time delays. Talking happens only when the players are visiting bases and when they opposing players are there. Most of the time, the dugout is filled with opponents bodyparts or the next action. Right now, the dialogue is focused on the future. It’s not that these men are indifferent about the people they have been working with for many years. It’s just that, at that time, it’s the game which is the focus. And as soon as the concluding inning is done right, there is not much chance for anything more.
Perhaps a couple of cold ones are taken later at the nearest bar. But it’s hard to picture these fellows showing up for the same barbecue. This area, however shabby and neglected it may be, is hallowed ground to them. It offers some respite and means everything to them, but simply a point on a map. It allows them the chance to block everything else in the universe and concentrate all their energies towards one goal. In sociology terms, it is called a third place. These places do not exist for self-pleasure but are essentials of social life. So what do we do then, when we organize our whole lives around such third spaces and then one day remove that crutch from us?
Wherever your third place may be, it’s probably viewed as a kind of institution. It is impossible for us to picture the world minus it. What triggers such thoughts? It’s because they are usually grander in scale than our day to day lives. A historical cinema, a huge public garden with a large tree underneath which you can sit, a small terrace-styled pub where you can sit with your drink and check out gorgeous crowds. These places ought to have existed from time immemorial, even before we came to integrate them to our lives. In Eephus, Soldiers Field is that third place.
And it seems that it has been very common around the area for ages now. Let’s take Franny for instance (Cliff Blake) who seems to embody the wise man of the field, carefully filling out his cracked scorebook with his last outing. It is a venue that seems to have existed long even before he did. He might have even begun marking the scores as a hobby. Or perhaps, just for the advantage of being a fan. Or perhaps it was that he felt that in spite of the players being different all the time, each bleacher has a story cut into it with every game. Inside each piece of grass that grows along the baseball diamond and each direction, the baseball turns around the diamond. And although some of them are really relished subordinately at a larger canvas of the global influence hence needs to be taken into consideration. Once some child of one father who was a participant in the game asked the question: “So, what is the big deal? Are not there better things to deal with?” And that is the whole point of Eephus.
Although watching a film is like a personal escape for many, life is never quite that straightforward. But what I can say is that for the duration that I choose any film, I am Surrendered to that filmmaker. There’s a need to put your all into what you do. And that is something the men in Eephus have done weekend after weekend for years and what thanks do they get always for this? To have it taken from them. Other teammates suddenly begin to consider what it is that they’d been planning to do when there are no fields left for them. Some people watch films, others read literature. But it’s simple to understand that the enthusiasm is missing. When alternative candidates begin to talk about a playing field, it’s a non-starter. It’s too distant (30 minutes maximum) or there are issues with the septic system (the entire outfield is disgusting). And there are so many to keep on. The real reason? Most likely it is simply because it is not their field. The events that they have experienced in this structure define those memories for them because they happened over there. They would rather leave it and walk away with grace to a new environment than surpass their own standards.
Are they doing something that is not in their best interests? Maybe, but it is only when learning about the titular character of the film that we can start to appreciate how these players think.
As one of the pitchers who uses it explains, the eephus pitch is both easy and difficult. It is a pitch that has not been done very often because it has always been pegged as hard to achieve. It looks like a pretty fast curveball to the pitcher. Only this time, the batter has been confused by the ball because it’s going so slow and has a high arc. After a reserve player hears about it, he imagines that the eephus is the next pitch he sees. The eephus pitcher emphasizes that, in fact, they are similar, but what was just observed was actually a badly executed pitch. They do agree on a few things but, in reality, the difference is manifold. As the game progresses, the time begins to fade and the players sense each other’s discontent, some lose their positions, others lose their mouths. And it is in those last turns that the batters finally attempt to accept the inevitable defeat that is impending. A defeat that transcends the specific game itself, but the defeat of such a period of their life. There is a shot in the film where I thought the vastness of the film and the cost eephus complement each other quite well.
The batter is asking his wife and two kids to pay attention. He misses and heads back home with his family. There is an inaudible comment which comes up and is laughable. This is clearly followed with a helpless comment coming in from the player who just struck out. After this bombs, a teammate offers a benign question that gradually makes the batter smile. In three skillful set-ups, Eephus conducts the audience through a range of emotions, and the focus is shifted deeper towards the emotional impact which prevails at Soldier’s Field on yet another regular evening. Having a bittersweet touch to the theme of institutions, ones which give us warmth, Eephus is amongst the most emotionally powerful movies of the year. It is certainly immersive piece of art, A film that one will watch and enjoy from the beginning to the end.
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