King of the Hill

In the midst of the Great Depression's crushing grip on St. Louis, Missouri, 1933, a young boy named Aaron Kurlander (Jesse Bradford) navigates the challenges of adolescence while grappling with the harsh realities of poverty. With his father, Eric (Jeroen Krabbé), struggling to find employment selling watches, the family finds themselves relegated to the humble confines of the fleabag Empire Hotel.

As Aaron faces the difficulties of his situation, he must also contend with his own insecurities and sense of identity. At school, he is tasked with writing about his hero, Charles Lindbergh (played by himself in a dramatic reading), who famously flew solo across the Atlantic Ocean in 1927. This assignment serves as a metaphor for Aaron's own journey of self-discovery, as he struggles to find his place in the world.

Outside of school, Aaron finds solace in his relationships with his younger brother, Sullivan (Cameron Boyd), and their eccentric neighbors at the hotel. His interactions with Sullivan, who is often the target of bullying, serve as a reminder of Aaron's own vulnerability and the importance of empathy. Meanwhile, his conversations with Ella McShane (Amber Benson), a shy and quiet neighbor girl, hint at deeper connections and unrequited feelings.

As tensions escalate within the Kurlander household, Aaron must confront the harsh realities of poverty and homelessness. His teacher, Miss Mathey (Karen Allen), begins to suspect that something is amiss when she notices the family's address has changed, leading her to confront Aaron about his living situation. This turning point marks a shift in Aaron's perspective, as he begins to realize that honesty and vulnerability are essential for building meaningful connections with others.

Throughout this tumultuous period, Aaron finds himself torn between his desire to maintain a sense of normalcy and his growing awareness of the world's imperfections. As he navigates these challenges, he must also contend with his own ego and insecurities, as evidenced by his reluctance to admit his father's lowly profession to Billy Thompson (Chris Samples) and his subsequent attempts to fabricate an alternate reality.

Ultimately, this coming-of-age tale serves as a poignant exploration of the human experience, highlighting the struggles and triumphs that define adolescence. As Aaron confronts the complexities of poverty, identity, and relationships, he begins to forge a sense of purpose and belonging, setting him on a path towards self-discovery and growth.

As a sweltering afternoon unfolds, Aaron enlists Lester's assistance in rescuing his father's illegally parked vehicle from the clutches of Patrolman Burns (John McConnell), whose hawk-like instincts threaten to turn it into a costly ticket. With Lester shouldering the burden, they unwittingly send the car rolling down a treacherous incline, narrowly avoiding a chaotic stick-ball game and incoming traffic. The boys finally corral the vehicle when it comes to a stop, and they beat a hasty retreat back to the Empire Hotel.

But their tranquility is short-lived, as Mr. Kurlander shatters the news that he has secured a position as a traveling watch salesman, forcing him to abandon Aaron's junior high school graduation just days hence. Left reeling and without sustenance, Aaron takes drastic measures to sell his newly hatched canaries to a local pet store, only to be fleeced by the proprietor who claims the brood consists solely of females - deemed worthless due to their inability to sing. The transaction leaves him with a paltry 50 cents, which he uses to purchase a kitten for Ella, who is struggling to recover from yet another debilitating seizure.

At school, Aaron's desperation prompts him to swipe a sandwich from a gluttonous classmate, inadvertently earning an invitation to Christina Sebastian (Katherine Heigl)'s graduation dinner following Billy Thompson's party. When it becomes apparent that his only suit jacket is woefully ill-fitting, Lester takes Aaron on a clandestine expedition to the storage room, where they pilfer items previously seized from former tenants.

As graduation day approaches, Aaron dons his new attire and Ella bestows a bittersweet goodbye kiss before her family departs for Illinois in pursuit of better treatment for her epilepsy. During the ceremony, he is stunned to receive an award for demonstrating exemplary character, a surprise that only adds to his turmoil. At Billy's party, Aaron spins a fantastical excuse for his parents' absence, but gossip soon spreads like wildfire, and he overhears a classmate refer to him as a "charity case" who receives special treatment from the teachers.

When Billy confronts him about his fabrications, Aaron flees the party and returns to the hotel, where he's met with an eviction notice under the door - a grim reminder that his father's failure to pay rent has left them just three days before being tossed out onto the streets. Feeling helpless, Aaron visits Ella at the sanitarium, but is unable to reveal the dire news to her from afar.

As Aaron's desperation reaches a boiling point, he stumbles upon a former acquaintance from the Empire Hotel now eking out an existence in the nearby Hooverville - a shanty town of makeshift shelters and worn-out souls. In a last-ditch effort to salvage his situation, he pays a visit to Mr. Mungo, offering up his prized cigar band collection in exchange for assistance. The sympathetic neighbor agrees to intervene on Aaron's behalf with the hotel owner, and later, Aaron crafts a heartfelt letter to his uncle, pleading for Sullivan's return.

The next morning, Aaron is jolted awake by the sounds of chaos as the authorities descend upon the impoverished camps, scattering the makeshift homes like autumn leaves in the wind. Lester, a fellow resident, is taken into custody, but not before bestowing upon Aaron a cherished pocketknife - a symbol of their shared struggles. As the hotel's vindictive bellhop prepares to lock him out of his room, Aaron makes a hasty retreat inside.

It is then that Mr. Mungo leaves Aaron a poignant note, accompanied by a new addition to his cigar band collection. However, as Aaron attempts to express his gratitude, he becomes aware of the disturbingly macabre scene unfolding behind his neighbor's door - water and blood seeping out from beneath the threshold. With a heavy heart, Aaron enters the apartment to find Mr. Mungo has succumbed to despair, leaving behind a trail of devastation.

In the aftermath of this traumatic event, Aaron resorts to a coping mechanism all too familiar: he arranges magazine cutouts of his favorite foods on a plate and devours them with ravenous abandon. As the days blend together in a haze of desperation, Aaron's grip on reality begins to slip. He becomes ill, plagued by vivid hallucinations that replay the harrowing events of recent weeks.

When he finally recovers, his anguish is tempered only by the arrival of Sullivan at his doorstep - a reunion marked by tears and feasting upon the bounty Sullivan has brought with him. However, their joy is short-lived, as their father bursts into the scene, bearing news of a new job with the Works Progress Administration that promises a steady income of $65 per month.

In a surprising turn of events, Mr. Kurlander suggests abandoning the outstanding hotel bill of $174 by leaving their belongings behind when they relocate to their new apartment - but Aaron refuses to abandon his pride and dignity. He and Sullivan concoct a plan to sneak out their suitcases, packing everything but the pilfered goods into their car.

As they prepare to leave, Aaron makes a quiet visit to the basement storage room, where he secretly retrieves a box of watercolor paints intended for the evicted tenant now eking out an existence in the Hooverville. He also takes the opportunity to liberate the padlocks used by the bellhop to lock out insolvent tenants, rendering them useless.

As Mr. Kurlander returns with his recovering wife from the sanitarium, the reunited family makes its way into their spacious new apartment at the Carleton Court - a symbol of hope and redemption in the face of adversity.