When you think of things that are “quintessentially American”, baseball must be one of the first things that springs to mind. A sport that revels in foam fingers, hot dogs and strategy talk; one that is played everywhere from local parks to proper stadiums. For many Americans it is, no doubt, a nostalgic part of their lives, with memories of having watched or played for the first time.
But for the group of men in Eephus, it’s the last time they’re playing in which they’re trying to create memories. It’s October in the mid-1990s and the Soldiers Field rec-league baseball ground is due to be demolished next month to make way for a new school. In the red jerseys, we have local team Adler’s Paint, captained by Ed (Keith William Richards) and in the blue, we have their rivals, the Riverdogs. Their captain, Graham (Stephen Radochia), just so happens to the be man behind the bulldozing. The men on both teams are distraught at this decision – where will they gather now? So, they decide to give it their all for the “send off” the baseball diamond deserves.
Director Carson Lund, who co-wrote the film with Michael Basta and Nate Fisher, doesn’t offer up some plucky underdog story full of flashy montages and last minute triumphs. Instead, he leans in to the nature of the game itself, taking his time and enjoying the long pauses. Indeed, the film alternates between moments of “action” (if you can call any of the sporting attempts that) and moments of quiet. Men sit on the benches, barely exchanging a word, simply soaking up their last time at the grounds. The thunk of wood on leather permeates their comfortable silences, reminding us that there is actually a game going on.
The title of the film, as is explained, comes from the “Eephus pitch” – a curveball that “stays in the air forever”. It’s an unnaturally slow pitch that is designed to get the batter to swing either too early or too late. And there’s plenty of mis-hits for these players. “I got a herniated disc putting paper in my printer,” one Adler’s Paint player complains, “It hurts so bad.” They’re all breathing out their backsides as they run to the next base. No one actually knows any real strategy talk, they’re just saying words and hoping their gestures mean something. It’s funny and kind of sad because it makes you wonder what will happen to these men – where they will congregate and feel part of something – once their beloved diamond is gone.
And it’s not just the baseball field that’s going. One elderly spectator notes that many diners have shut down in the town and, what once seemed like a thriving place full of working families, now feels like a dead end. Through snippets of conversation, we learn that the players have rather uneventful home and professional lives. Pulling on their baseball jerseys seems to be all they have to look forward to. “It’s worth it … every pin and needle,” one player sighs.
However, there are plenty of moments of fun in Eephus. The attempts at trash talk are pitiful and usually result in effusive apologies for any offence caused. Ed has to leave halfway through the game because he forgot he was due to be at his niece’s christening. The sun goes down – the game really does last as long as the men can eke it out – and they all have to use their car headlights in order to keep things going. “Just out of courtesy, we’re out of baseballs … and light,” Graham notes, drily. It’s a gentle, ribbing humour – exactly the kind you would expect from a rec-league team.
This isn’t going to be a film for everyone. For many people, it will feel like nothing at all has 
happened – you’re certainly not going to see any sporting prowess, although one home run is filmed in glorious slow motion. It’s a quiet, unassuming film that just wants to share one last game with you, its audience. It wants you to wonder about what will become of this community. Because, despite their tantrums, it genuinely isn’t about winning or losing for either Adler’s Paint or the Riverdogs. Their final clear up of the ground ripples with sadness.
Eephus feels like a loving slice of americana, a true love letter to baseball and the communities it creates. Its steady, purposefully uneventful pace holds true to the nature of the game and offers us a little insight into small town life being disrupted in the name of progress.
Eephus is showing at the Belfast Film Festival. Get your tickets here.
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