The films of Yasujiro Ozo and Satyajit Ray continue to touch and inspire gentle souls, concerned with profound family issues that challenge differing generations. The latest concrete evidence comes from Chris Eska's August Evening, chronicling the lives of an aging undocumented Mexican worker and his young widowed daughter in law. Besides the titular reference (e.g. Ozu's An Autumn Afternoon, Late Spring), the film parallels the films of Ozo and Ray with deliberate pacing, similar themes, natural lighting, and effective non-professional actors. The only thing missing are the trains.

Eska's first feature (produced for under $40,000) has earned a well-deserved Spirit Awards nomination for the 2008 John Cassavetes Award. Networking and scrounging for resources in his native small town community outside Gonzales, Texas, the UCLA film school graduate has crafted a film that Ozu and Ray aficionados will appreciate. Time will tell if recent interest in the plight of Mexican immigrants will help this poignant character study cross over to a more mainstream 2008 audience.

Standout lead actor Pedro Castaneda quietly demonstrates tremendous emotional range as Jaime. A long time undocumented worker, he loses his regular job on a chicken farm shortly after the sudden death of his wife, and his life begins to unravel. Like Ozu's masterful Tokyo Story, Jaime's surviving children have relocated to the city (San Antonio) and have become estranged from their ancestral roots. Only Jaime's daughter in law Lupe (Veronica Loren) remains to cook and care for him.

Although Jaime appreciates Lupe's support, he increasingly feels that it's time to move on—that Lupe must leave and lead her own life. He realizes that he'll go through periods of loneliness, but he's got time for meditative whittling, fishing, listening to cicada humming, and enjoying the southwestern sunsets. He's tried living with his son and daughter in San Antonio, but discovers that he becomes a burden to them, yet he stoically accepts life as it comes and even comes to terms with his son Victor (Abel Becerra). Director Eska channels Ozu's Early Spring through Jaime as he urges his daughter in law to marry good hearted Luis (Walter Perez), who has obviously fallen in love with the young widow.

By carrying this thoughtful family portrait, Castaneda earns praise for his acting, nominated for Best Actor by the Spirit Awards alongside modern well known giants of independent cinema: Don Cheadle (Talk to Me), Phillip Seymour Hofmman (The Savages), and Tony Leung (Lust, Caution). The fact that this is Castaneda's first film makes this achievement even more mind boggling, but somehow he is able to ignore the usual trappings of the camera and allow his character to just live and evolve on the screen naturally. His character's depth just exudes from his quiet gestures and subtle glances in the best neo-realistic tradition.

The simple story ebbs as leisurely as Gonzales' Guadalupe River and evolves naturally as Life itself, painting a very human face on the undocumented souls of the southwest. Eska's script speaks to the heart, and the natural warmth of the film's cinematography and characters illuminate universal experiences. August Evening may not appeal to a multi-plex crowd raised on special effects or to new generation film goers weaned on video games and Quentin Tarantino, but mature audiences who can appreciate heartfelt character drama should hop aboard the bus to check this generational study out.