''Eephus'' is a 2024

sports film A sports film is a film genre in which any particular sport plays a prominent role in the film's plot or acts as its central theme. It is a production in which a sport or a sports-related topic is prominently featured or is a focus of the plot. D ...

directed by Carson Lund about the final game of an amateur

New England New England is a region consisting of six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York (state), New York to the west and by the ...

baseball league before their stadium is demolished. The film premiered in the

Directors' Fortnight The Directors' Fortnight (, formerly ) is an independent section held in parallel to the Cannes Film Festival. It was started in 1969 by the French Directors Guild after the events of May 1968 resulted in cancellation of the Cannes festival as a ...

section of the 77th Cannes Film Festival, where it was eligible for the

Caméra d'Or The Caméra d'Or ("''Golden Camera''") is an award of the Cannes Film Festival for the best first feature film presented in one of the Cannes selections (Official Selection, Directors' Fortnight or Critics' Week). The prize was created in 1978 Ca ...

award. The film stars

Keith William Richards Keith William Richards (born April 11, 1963) is an American actor, best known for playing Phil in the 2019 film ''Uncut Gems''. Early life Keith Williams Richards was born in New Jersey. Shortly after his birth, his family moved to Stuyvesant ...

in his first lead role.

Premise

In a small

Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...

town in the 1990s, the Adler's Paint baseball team, led by Ed Mortainian, face the Riverdogs, led by Graham Morris, in one last game before their ballfield is demolished to make room for a new school.

Cast

Production

''Eephus'' was filmed on location at Soldiers Field in

Douglas, Massachusetts Douglas is a town in southern Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 8,983 at the 2020 census. It includes the Douglas State Forest, managed by the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR). History The name ...

. While the film's story centers on this real-life baseball field, the plot concerning the demolition of the field and the construction of a school was fictional. Lund cited ''

Goodbye, Dragon Inn ''Goodbye, Dragon Inn'' () is a 2003 Taiwanese comedy-drama slow cinema film written and directed by Tsai Ming-liang. It shows the staff and patrons of a dying movie theater, which screens the 1967 wuxia film ''Dragon Inn'' as its final performa ...

'' as an influence on the film's story. Lund co-wrote the screenplay for ''Eephus'' with Michael Basta and Nate Fisher. Due to his experience as a

director of photography The cinematographer or director of photography (sometimes shortened to DP or DOP) is the person responsible for the recording of a film, television production, music video or other live-action piece. The cinematographer is the chief of the camera ...

, Lund had hoped to serve as cinematographer on the film, but chose Greg Tango for the role when this proved impractical. ''Eephus'' was co-produced by members of

Chapo Trap House ''Chapo Trap House'' (also referred to as ''Chapo'') is an American socialist political comedy podcast launched in March 2016 and hosted by Will Menaker, Felix Biederman, Matt Christman, and Amber A'Lee Frost. It is produced by Chris Wade. The ...

, a prominent left-wing podcast known for its political commentary. Two of its hosts, Will Menaker and Amber A'lee Frost, have voice acting roles in the film.

Release

''Eephus'' world-premiered on May 9, 2024, in the

Director's Fortnight The Directors' Fortnight (, formerly ) is an independent section held in parallel to the Cannes Film Festival. It was started in 1969 by the French Directors Guild after the events of May 1968 resulted in cancellation of the Cannes festival as a ...

section of the

2024 Cannes Film Festival The 77th annual Cannes Film Festival took place from 14 to 25 May 2024. American filmmaker and actress Greta Gerwig served as jury president for the main competition. American filmmaker Sean Baker (filmmaker), Sean Baker won the Palme d'Or, the ...

. The film also screened at

Filmfest München The Munich International Film Festival () is the largest summer film festival in Germany and second only in size and importance to the Berlinale. It has been held annually since 1983 and takes place in late June or early July. It presents fe ...

on June 30, 2024, and was selected for the Meeting Point section of the

69th Valladolid International Film Festival The 69th Valladolid International Film Festival (Seminci) took place from 18 to 26 October 2024, in Valladolid, Spain. '' They Will Be Dust'' opened the festival. Background In June 2024, the festival announced the update of its branding image ...

. The film made its North American premiere in the Main Slate of the 62nd New York Film Festival on October 2, 2024. It also screened at

AFI Fest The American Film Institute (AFI) is an American nonprofit film organization that educates filmmakers and honors the heritage of the motion picture arts in the United States. AFI is supported by private funding and public membership fees. Lead ...

on October 25, 2024. It was released in the United States on March 7, 2025.

Reception

Critical reception

In a review for '' IndieWire'', critic Christian Zilko praised how ''Eephus'' approached social relationships between men. He lauded the filmmakers' choice to make a school the cause of the stadium's demolition, arguing this decision takes the focus off of a potential villain eroding social space and keeps the emphasis on the passage of time. Echoing these sentiments, Jessica Kiang of ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' characterized ''Eephus'' as an "adorably existential, off-kilter take on the sports movie".

Accolades

References

External links

* *{{Official website, https://www.eephusfilm.com/ 2020s American films 2020s English-language films 2020s sports drama films 2020s French films Films set in Massachusetts Films set in the 1990s American baseball films Films shot in Massachusetts