Mending the Line

Mending the Line

The story follows a young soldier, injured in Afghanistan, who arrives at a VA hospital and meets a Vietnam veteran at the facility who teaches him to fly fish, hoping it will help the young man deal with his physical and emotional trauma.

  • Released:
  • Runtime: 120 minutes
  • Genre: Drama
  • Stars: Sinqua Walls, Brian Cox, Perry Mattfeld, Patricia Heaton, Wes Studi, Irene Bedard, Julian Works, Chris Galust, Pressly Coker, Michaela Sasner, Melanie Rae Wendt, Jenna Ciralli, Scott McCauley, Phaedra Nielson, Josef Patterson, Catherine Deriana, Gabriel Clark, Quenby Iandiorio, Tristan Thompson
  • Director: Joshua Caldwell
 Comments
  • wmweirich - 27 May 2024
    Sleeper w Twists
    Slow in portions, the chacharacter development & acting quality slowly draws the viewer in. Totally worth it, Rewarding. The setting in Montana is just striking, but the story rocks as well...... Fun flick. We found this to be a damn good movie for the Memorial Day Viewing. Sometimes the lead female acting was slow on innerous, but one moves past that as just a quirk of the acting, not the director, certainly not the excellent screenplay & script. Rimminisent of Green Book tome movies of that stripe. Soundtrack was a killer good match and the cinematography was just awesome. Highly recommend!!!
  • trinaboice - 1 November 2023
    The story takes an honest look at how the aftermath of war affects people.
    IN A NUTSHELL: The military-centered movie was directed by Joshua Caldwell, and directed by Stephen Camelio. It has already won the Valor Award at the San Diego International Film Festival.

    On a personal note, my stepfather was a retired Marine. He loved his time in military service and was proud of being a Marine. It defined him until the end when he was buried in a Veterans Cemetery with honor just last year. My father served in the Navy. One of my sons is currently serving in the Army. I'm so grateful to the valiant men and women who faithfully serve in the military on behalf of all of our citizens. If you're a veteran, thank you so much.

    THINGS I LIKED: The charming cast includes Brian Cox, Sinqua Walls, Wes Studi, Patricia, and Perry Mattfield.

    I haven't seen Brian Cox in anything lately, so it was great to see him. He does a fantastic job playing an aging vet who "hasn't listened to music since Creedence broke up in 72." Cox also serves as Executive Producer for the film.

    At first, I didn't enjoy Perry Mattfeld's mopey character, but she grew on me and I was able to see how naturally gifted she is as an actress.

    Gorgeous cinematography by Eve Cohen. We get to see some stunning landscapes in Montana.

    The movie begins with a deadly war scene in Afghanistan somewhere, but the rest of the movie is gentle and focuses on the healing relationship between two veterans.

    The story takes an honest look at how the aftermath of war affects people.

    The sweeping musical score by Bill Brown perfectly underscores every moment and emotion.

    The movie relies heavily on fishing metaphors, as we're all like fish swimming against currents in our lives. One of the books that several characters are seen reading is called "Casting Forward" by Steve Ramirez and Bob White. The insights and imagery are inspirational.

    At the end of the movie, we get to see pictures of real veterans fishing on the river, as it has now been proven to be extremely therapeutic for those recovering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. One of the characters in the movie explains that fishing is the only time he doesn't have to think and can finally feel peace.

    THINGS I DIDN'T LIKE: The movie is slow-moving and takes too long to say what it wants to.

    The scars on Sinqua Walls' character's legs look super fake.

    TIPS FOR PARENTS: Kids might be bored unless they're really into fishing or have loved ones in the military.

    Profanity, including F-bombs Talk of death Some shooting Alcohol.

    !