It is fitting that on the day the World Series begins, thus marking the final days of the Major League Baseball season, Carson Lund’s sumptuous baseball dramedy Eephus, itself a tale of endings, arrives on VOD.
A deceptively simple tale on the surface, the leisurely paced work is an intricately layered exploration of life, community, and the changes that bind them together. Using baseball as the ultimate metaphor for human existence, Lund’s riveting film is both a nostalgic ode to the joyous communal bonding baseball can provide and a somber reminder that those highs do not last forever.
Taking place over the course of one day, Eephus follows various members of two rival teams, Alder’s Paints and the Riverdogs, as they play one last game on their beloved local diamond. Set for demolition to pave the way for a new school, thus putting the final nail in their recreational baseball league’s coffin, the men look to give the field the proper sendoff it deserves. Before the first pitch is even thrown there is talk of celebratory fireworks and canned brew at the game’s conclusion.
Much like the glow of a night sky set ablaze by fireworks, the joyful enthusiasm of the game proves to be fleeting. Most of the men, minus a few college age players, are middle-aged and cannot move like the once did. Furthermore, the growing list of obstacles which include key players showing up late, missing baseballs in the trees, and the dimming daylight being to make the game feel like an impossible mission to complete.
As the sun literally and figuratively sets on the men, Eephus reflects on how most things in life come to an end with a whimper rather than a big bang.
Similar to the “eephus” discussed in film – a curveball-like pitch that is so unnaturally slow that it confuses batters – Lund catches viewers off-guard. As the innings pass, and the teams exchange plenty of playful banter, the film evolves into a meditation on a community going through change. Aside from the players on the field, the audience gets glimpses of the various personalities that represent this small town. Whether it is the radio host (voiced by legendary documentarian Frederick Wiseman) offering updates on a coyote terrorizing wild dogs, the food truck vendor contemplating retirement, or the elderly fan who loves hot dogs and laments the closing of several dinners in the neighborhood, Lund captures a tightknit community navigating an uncertain future.
The construction outside the park fence, and conversations about other diamonds in nearby towns being unsanitary to play on, serves as a constant reminder of the change that is occurring.
It is in observing the men’s desire to hang onto something familiar, in this case the weekly baseball game, up to the very last minute, that Eephus finds its humour and bittersweet heart. The sense of tradition may propel the men to strive to complete the game, but Lund’s film ponders at what point do we have to acknowledge it’s time to turn the page on the thing we once loved. Despite the sense of comradery throughout, it becomes clear over the course of the prolonged game that other priorities, such as wives, jobs, and kids, have replaced the importance of playing baseball in their personal lives.
As the shifting responsibilities cause some men to unravel like the threading in a well-worn glove, the impressive construction of Lund’s film further reveals itself. Masterfully juggling numerous characters, each with their distinct personalities, the script by Lund, Michael Basta, and Nate Fisher finds plenty of warmth and humour in both the bonds of friendship and the uncertainty that comes with the unknown that awaits us all. Rarely has a film captured the beauty of baseball and the difficulty of letting go with equal weight and care.
Easily one of the year’s best films, Eephus finds hope in community while understanding that endings are unavoidable. Lund reminds viewers that baseball may not stop the changes that are a part of life, but it can help us come to terms with them together.
