On a spur of the moment, I decided to go to the 2014 Sundance Film Festival on Jan. 18 despite me already planning to attend Jan. 24-25. When a previous co-worker suggested going, my husband and I decided to go as well to see if we could see any stars in Park City as well as check if there were any tickets available at the box office. Not surprisingly, we were unable to attend a film in Park City but we were able to score tickets to two films in Salt Lake City theaters, a bit less than an hour away. One of the films we watched was "Hellion", an entry in the U.S. Dramatic Competition, a movie I highly recommend to everybody. In "Hellion", Aaron Paul, who many may know as Jesse Pinkman in the television show "Breaking Bad", stars as a father struggling raising two sons during a time of turmoil.
The dictionary entry for hellion is a disorderly, troublesome, rowdy or mischievous person. This definition perfectly describes Jacob, the 13-year-old son of Hollis. Soon after the film begins, Jacob is seen smashing the windows of a vehicle and lighting it on fire. Jacob is discovered and receives in-school suspension and is threatened with being sent to a youth detention center. Jacob's aunt notes that he is gaining quite a negative reputation in the community. Despite Jacob's knack for destruction of property and getting into fights, he has a huge heart and loves his 10-year-old brother named Wes. Jacob invites Wes along when he goes on his escapades with his friends. Jacob may be leading his younger brother on the path of juvenile delinquency but he is always ready to protect Wes from harm.
Hollis is a single father and has been a wreck since the death of his wife. In the film, Hollis is seen visiting a roadside cross, letting the audience assume the boys' mother died abruptly during an automobile accident. Hollis loves his sons but he hasn't been the best parent after the tragedy. The audience learns that Hollis disappeared for three weeks after his wife died and he left his sons in the care of their aunt. Hollis is often not home to care for his boys. Instead he is seen working on constructing a home in Galveston where his wife wanted her family to live. Hollis' home is unkempt with trash scattered everywhere and a pile of dishes still dirty in the sink. Hollis also drinks a lot to cope with the pain of his life.
One day while Jacob and Wes are home when their father is away, child protective service workers arrive. Of course the house is a mess and it appears the boys are not in a good living situation. The child protective service workers frown upon Wes being watched by his brother who is on probation. Wes is then separated from Jacob and the younger brother goes with his aunt to live. Hollis is understandably upset and is told in order to reclaim his son, he must attend every scheduled court date, weekly counseling and to stop drinking. This is a difficult feat for Hollis and the possibility of raising both of his sons under his roof seems dim. Jacob is devastated and wants to do anything necessary in order to bring back Wes to live with him and their father. Wes becomes less interested in hanging out with Jacob and his aunt seems intent on not allowing the two brothers to spend a lot of time together. Jacob plans to attend a motocross event hoping that qualifying for nationals will somehow bring Wes home. When the boys' aunt announces her intention to move to a different location, Jacob desires to do everything in his power to bring Wes home.
"Hellion" is a very powerful film. Aaron Paul, as well as the boys, convey their emotions very well. There were multiple moments where I felt moved and became teary-eyed. "Hellion" is more than just about a hellion child disrupting his family's life. Relationships between father and son are explored as well as the deep grief that can occur after the loss of a loved one. Hollis appears to be a good person with a lot of love for his sons. I don't think he is a bad father but his choices after his wife's death may be fracturing his family even further. An important lesson throughout the film, particularly for Hollis and Jacob, is that you must be responsible for your actions even if it is a difficult task. I can't tell you when you can watch "Hellion" on video because it still needs to be distributed for an audience to see, but definitely keep this title on your radar for an emotional family drama that was well worth a spur-of-the-moment trip to Park City to see if there were any Sundance Film Festival tickets available.
The dictionary entry for hellion is a disorderly, troublesome, rowdy or mischievous person. This definition perfectly describes Jacob, the 13-year-old son of Hollis. Soon after the film begins, Jacob is seen smashing the windows of a vehicle and lighting it on fire. Jacob is discovered and receives in-school suspension and is threatened with being sent to a youth detention center. Jacob's aunt notes that he is gaining quite a negative reputation in the community. Despite Jacob's knack for destruction of property and getting into fights, he has a huge heart and loves his 10-year-old brother named Wes. Jacob invites Wes along when he goes on his escapades with his friends. Jacob may be leading his younger brother on the path of juvenile delinquency but he is always ready to protect Wes from harm.
Hollis is a single father and has been a wreck since the death of his wife. In the film, Hollis is seen visiting a roadside cross, letting the audience assume the boys' mother died abruptly during an automobile accident. Hollis loves his sons but he hasn't been the best parent after the tragedy. The audience learns that Hollis disappeared for three weeks after his wife died and he left his sons in the care of their aunt. Hollis is often not home to care for his boys. Instead he is seen working on constructing a home in Galveston where his wife wanted her family to live. Hollis' home is unkempt with trash scattered everywhere and a pile of dishes still dirty in the sink. Hollis also drinks a lot to cope with the pain of his life.
One day while Jacob and Wes are home when their father is away, child protective service workers arrive. Of course the house is a mess and it appears the boys are not in a good living situation. The child protective service workers frown upon Wes being watched by his brother who is on probation. Wes is then separated from Jacob and the younger brother goes with his aunt to live. Hollis is understandably upset and is told in order to reclaim his son, he must attend every scheduled court date, weekly counseling and to stop drinking. This is a difficult feat for Hollis and the possibility of raising both of his sons under his roof seems dim. Jacob is devastated and wants to do anything necessary in order to bring back Wes to live with him and their father. Wes becomes less interested in hanging out with Jacob and his aunt seems intent on not allowing the two brothers to spend a lot of time together. Jacob plans to attend a motocross event hoping that qualifying for nationals will somehow bring Wes home. When the boys' aunt announces her intention to move to a different location, Jacob desires to do everything in his power to bring Wes home.
"Hellion" is a very powerful film. Aaron Paul, as well as the boys, convey their emotions very well. There were multiple moments where I felt moved and became teary-eyed. "Hellion" is more than just about a hellion child disrupting his family's life. Relationships between father and son are explored as well as the deep grief that can occur after the loss of a loved one. Hollis appears to be a good person with a lot of love for his sons. I don't think he is a bad father but his choices after his wife's death may be fracturing his family even further. An important lesson throughout the film, particularly for Hollis and Jacob, is that you must be responsible for your actions even if it is a difficult task. I can't tell you when you can watch "Hellion" on video because it still needs to be distributed for an audience to see, but definitely keep this title on your radar for an emotional family drama that was well worth a spur-of-the-moment trip to Park City to see if there were any Sundance Film Festival tickets available.