Written and directed by Leslie Goyette
Starring Kevin Mayr, Trin Miller, Brian Sutherland, and Cheyenne Barton
Runtime: 1 hour and 54 minutes
Unrated
Available for rent on Amazon and Google Play

by Emily Maesar, Staff Writer

There is something so remarkably bold about having your first feature film be a nearly two-hour period piece. They’re hard to make, especially on a budget. So, having that film be extraordinarily good? That’s the mark of true vision and filmmaking prowess. Which are two things that Leslie Goyette has in droves.

Set during the Great Depression in Appalachia, Maysville is the story of Teddy Rodgers (Holden Goyette). After his father’s death, Teddy’s best friend Willy is killed in a tractor accident. Racked with guilt, since Teddy was driving the tractor, Teddy is taken in by Willy’s alcoholic and abusive father, Buck. After Teddy spends years living through unimaginable abuse, he finally finds a way out and leaves Willy’s childhood home.

Now a man, Teddy finds his footing in Maysville, the namesake of the film. There he gets a job at the mill, meets a lovely girl named Elizabeth, and comes to terms with his new life. Until, that is, his past comes hunting for him. So, first thing’s first: I really loved this film. As someone who has been on sets for short films, trying to do similar things, I know how hard it is to make Appalachian period pieces (very niche and specific, I know) and I think that Goyette and company have done a remarkable job of it. But beyond the film being good by comparison, it’s also just good.

I do have a confession, though. I’ve actually known about Maysville since they were shooting it. Cheyenne Barton, who lovingly played Elizabeth, is one of my favorite illustrators and YouTubers, and I remember when she was cast in this film. I’ve been excited to finally see it, and it was so much more than I could have imagined. Elizabeth and Teddy’s romance is so very sweet, and while it’s very “love at first sight,” they also work at their relationship in a really nice way. It feels earned and true in a way that’s hard to bring to life, but Maysville has done it.

And I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention how wonderful both Goyette and Kevin Mayr are as Teddy, with Goyette playing young Teddy and Mayr playing him as an adult. They both give the character the complex mix of hopeful kindness and utter sadness that his situation demands. And boy does it demand it! The guilt that Teddy feels, the abuse he suffers because of it, and the aftermath of his choices really form the bedrock for film, and Mayr plays every moment beautifully.

Something I really love about Maysville is the emphasis on masculine kindness, especially during this time period. Like, there’s this masculine figure of pain and suffering for both Willy and Teddy, but it doesn’t make either of them mean in return. Not to mention Mr. Wells (Russell Hodkinson), who becomes a father figure to Teddy from the first day he’s in town. Even Elizabeth’s father, played by Frank Lawler, comes to Teddy's defense, despite being on the fence about him originally.

Maysville is a dark, often sad and intense, piece of period filmmaking that highlights kindness and forgiveness. It’s a remarkable film that I know will be the first in a long line of great work from Leslie Goyette. I’m hopeful this film will find its audience, and that we’ll get to see many more films from Goyette and her producing partner Michele Englehart.