Steel City

Brian Jun's quietly effective American indie flick is a production that draws its strength from the community in which it is set and shot – in this case, a depressed Illinois steel town whose atmosphere pervades the drama. John Heard delivers his loveliest and most affecting performance in a long time as an absent father who steps up to pay penance for his failings, whereas his apathetic son (Tom Guiry) struggles to overcome issues of self-esteem while sliding into surrender. The complexities of the family dynamics are nicely observed and Jun doesn't resort to grand gestures or dramatic confrontations to understand their lives or their conflicts. By the time he tips the audience to the guilty secret (the closest Jun comes to a dramatic twist), his characters have earned the spark of hope he offers. America Ferrera, Clayne Crawford and Raymond J. Barry co-star. The DVD features two commentary tracks (one by director Brian Jun and cinematographer Ryan Samul with performers John Heard and Clayne Crawford, the other with just Jun and Samul), deleted scenes, Jun's 2001 short film "For Jimmy Brown" and a stills gallery.