''Mending the Line'' is a 2022 American

drama Drama is the specific Mode (literature), mode of fiction Mimesis, represented in performance: a Play (theatre), play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on Radio drama, radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a g ...

film written by Stephen Camelio, directed by

Joshua Caldwell Joshua Alexander Caldwell is an American film director, screenwriter, and producer. In 2006, he won a Golden Popcorn award at the MTV Movie Awards for writing, directing and producing the film ''The Beautiful Lie''. Biography Beginning wit ...

and starring Brian Cox, Sinqua Walls, Perry Mattfeld,

Patricia Heaton Patricia Helen Heaton (born March 4, 1958) is an American actress. She began her career appearing in a recurring role in the American Broadcasting Company, ABC drama series ''Thirtysomething'' (1989–1991) and later appearing in the comedy film ...

and

Wes Studi Wesley Studi (; born December 17, 1947) is a Native American (Cherokee Nation) actor and film producer. He has garnered critical acclaim and awards throughout his career, particularly for his portrayal of Native Americans in film. In 2019, he ...

Plot

A Marine wounded in Afghanistan returns home to the US but struggles deeply with the trauma of war. The memories of fallen friends haunt him, and he carries the weight of

survivor's guilt Survivor guilt or survivor's guilt (also survivor syndrome, survivor's syndrome, survivor disorder and survivor's disorder) happens when individuals feel guilty after they survive a tragic, near death, or traumatic event when others perished. It ...

, along with physical injuries that make daily life difficult. He is sent to a V.A. facility in Montana where he meets a Vietnam Vet who teaches him how to fly fish as a way of dealing with his

PTSD Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental disorder that develops from experiencing a traumatic event, such as sexual assault, domestic violence, child abuse, warfare and its associated traumas, natural disaster, traffic collision, ...

and they forge a friendship that changes both of their lives.

Cast

* Brian Cox as Ike Fletcher * Sinqua Walls as Colter * Perry Mattfeld as Lucy *

as Dr. Burke *

as Harrison

Production

In August 2021, it was announced that Cox and Walls would star in the film. Filming occurred in Montana in September 2021.

Release

The film premiered at the

Woodstock Film Festival The Woodstock Film Festival is an American film festival launched in 2000 by filmmakers Meira Blaustein and Laurent Rejto in the Hudson Valley region of New York. The festival takes place each fall in the towns of Woodstock, Rosendale and Saug ...

on September 29, 2022. It was also shown at the

San Diego International Film Festival The San Diego International Film Festival is an independent film festival held in San Diego, California, produced by the nonprofit San Diego Film Foundation. The main event has traditionally been held annually in autumn at venues in the Gaslamp Q ...

on October 22, 2022. Then it was released in theaters on June 9, 2023, by Blue Fox Entertainment, and

on demand On-demand or on demand may refer to: Manufacturing * Build-on-demand * Just-in-time manufacturing, a methodology for production * Print on demand, printing technology and business process in which new copies of a document are not printed until ...

on September 26, 2023, by

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment Sony Pictures Home Entertainment Inc. (abbreviated as SPHE) is the home entertainment distribution division of Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony. Background SPHE is responsible for the distribution of the Sony Pictures libra ...

. The movie arrived on Netflix on March 23, 2024. The film shot up to No. 1 on the Netflix US Top Ten where it remained for five days and maintained its overall position in the Top Ten for the first week of its release. The film also cracked the Netflix Global Top Ten at No. 10 despite only being available in the US.

Reception

Owen Gleiberman Owen Gleiberman (born February 24, 1959) is an American film critic who has been chief film critic for '' Variety'' magazine since May 2016, a title he shares with . Previously, Gleiberman wrote for ''Entertainment Weekly'' from 1990 until 2014. ...

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), ...

'' gave the film a positive review and wrote that it "has a rote TV-movie look and a few bland and rambling passages. But it delivers a truth about those who have served, about the reality of the demons that can linger in them, that’s tough and moving." Gary Goldstein of the ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...

'' also gave the film a positive review and wrote, "That said, the movie is worth a look for its lovely and magical fly-fishing sequences and stirring Big Sky vistas (shout out to cinematographer Eve Cohen), as well as its strong cast..." Bill Goodykoontz of ''

The Arizona Republic ''The Arizona Republic'' is an American daily newspaper published in Phoenix. Circulated throughout Arizona, it is the state's largest newspaper. Since 2000, it has been owned by the Gannett newspaper chain. History Early years The newspap ...

'' awarded the film three stars out of five and wrote, "But through its setting and performances, “Mend the Line” has just enough going for it to recommend it."

Award

The film won the Valor Award at the

References

External links

*
Mending the Line
' on

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

* {{IMDb title Films shot in Montana American drama films