90 Feet From Home

There is not a shortage of films touching upon the theme of the “sins of our fathers.” This idea that the tragic baggage of our family is passed along from one generation to the next. In Brett Bentman’s 90 Feet From Home, he tells the story of Scott and Thomas Conway as they struggle to find justice and peace from a childhood living under the abusive thumb of their alcoholic step-father.

At home, this blended family walks on eggshells to avoid confrontations with the abusive Jimmy (Shawn Michaels). Scott (Chase Pollack) has taken the brunt of Jimmy’s abuse, as Scott’s mother, Emily (Heather Williams) is dying of cancer, but the stress of her family is most likely killing her faster. Then there’s Scott’s brother Thomas (Jaren Lewison), who appears to be Jimmy’s favorite step-son and manages to escape abuse by keeping his mouth shut and doing what he’s told.

There is a glimmer of hope for Scott. He is a talented baseball player. He hits, fields, and carries himself like a professional. He so good, his family is visited by scouts from a major league team and offers him a generous signing bonus for the upcoming draft. Jimmy hates Scott so much that he refuses to let him go the majors and proceeds to break his arm in his sleep.

“…struggle to find justice and peace from a childhood living under the abusive thumb of their alcoholic step-father.”

Move ahead fifteen years an older Scott (Adam Hampton) returns to his hometown for the first time as a broken man. There’s no fanfare for the hometown hero, just released from his major league baseball team due to injuries. While he was away, his mother died of cancer; Scott was not there for her. His brother Thomas (Thom Hallum) became a police investigator, got married, and has a daughter; and Scott was nowhere to be seen. After Emily’s death, Jimmy went to prison for killing two girls in a drunken car accident.