‘Return’ will have its final Big Sky showings at The Waypoint on Wednesday, May 8
By Jen ClanceyDIGITAL PRODUCER
Seven-and-a-half years ago, Pete Tolton interviewed a Montana resident and retired Green Beret who served in the Vietnam War. The conversation led to “Return,” a 90-minute documentary film about Jim Markel Sr. retracing steps in the country in which he served more than 40 years ago.
Tolton, a Billings-based filmmaker, directed “Return,” which had its premiere in Big Sky on Friday, May 3. It played through the weekend and will have its final two showings at The Waypoint tomorrow, Wednesday, May 8 at 5 and 7 p.m.
“The story [is] really about the gulf between people who served and people who didn’t,” said Tolton. In the film, Jim Markel Sr. travels with his son to revisit mountain tribes—comrades who he lived and fought with and eventually had to leave after the U.S. military withdrew from the country—and the villages he remembered while serving. While journeying the thousands of miles with his son, Jim Markel Jr., the former Green Beret confronts his experience as both soldier and father.
“This [is] somebody who had so many unanswered questions, and had such feelings of intense loss and suffered deeply in the aftermath,” Tolton said of Markel Sr. “I think he was ready for a full change. I think he was ready for his son to be there with him.”
“Return” had its world premiere at the Big Sky Documentary Film Festival in Missoula in 2023. Other appearances include the MINT Film Festival in Billings, and Sheridan, Wyoming’s WYO Film Festival. After Big Sky’s final screenings on Monday, the film will show in Newport, Oregon.
Tolton explained that the film touched many families during screenings across the state, recounting military families leaving with a new understanding of their veteran relatives.
Markel Sr.’s story relates to a wider story about Montana, a state that holds high rates of mental health issues and suicide incidences. “There’s a lot of sense of isolation here, there’s a major problem with especially men, adult men and older men, lacking friendships and strong relationships in their lives,” Tolton said. He hopes that audiences can leave inspired, maybe with an example of how to hold hard conversations, even in older age.
“It’s never too late to talk about hard stuff … if you’ve been thinking about going there, go there,” Tolton emphasizes this especially when things are “long burning and long waiting.”
“I also hope that it opens a window to history to show a side of the war that may be unfamiliar to people … I hope people feel a sense of curiosity about a faraway place,” Tolton said about the story, which offers a nuanced look at the Vietnam War more than 40 years after its conclusion.
CALL FOR ARTISTS: Paint anytime from June 1-28EXHIBITION & SALE: June 29 - July 31Calling all artists and nature
enthusiasts! Get
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Event Details
CALL FOR ARTISTS: Paint anytime from June 1-28
EXHIBITION & SALE: June 29 – July 31
Calling all artists and nature
enthusiasts! Get your paintbrushes ready for an unforgettable experience at
Paint Under the Big Sky, a thrilling plein air event set against the stunning
backdrop of Big Sky, MT, Chet Huntley’s “The Last Best Place”. Don’t
miss this chance to unleash your creativity and be part of a vibrant artistic community.
What is Paint Under the Big Sky? PUBS is a plein air event for all painters of any ability (over the age of 16). Sponsored by the Big Sky Artist’s Studio & Gallery and the Big Sky Artists Collective, a non-profit organization whose mission is to foster a strong community of artists in the Big Sky area, the paint-out hopes to introduce painters to our extraordinary landscape for an opportunity to create, meet and have fun. Plein air painters record our landscape for generations to come.
Artists are invited to travel to Big
Sky, MT to paint anytime between Jun 1 – 28, and participate in the exhibition
and sale of paintings from June 29 – July 31.
Come join us! We have a great
place to paint and are welcoming and fun!
Don’t miss out!
Time
June 1 (Saturday) 1:00 am - July 31 (Wednesday) 11:55 pm
Embrace the freedom and
serenity of movement in nature with our rejuvenating morning yoga class on the
Mountain Lawn. Allow the fresh mountain air and gentle guided yoga practice
Event Details
Embrace the freedom and
serenity of movement in nature with our rejuvenating morning yoga class on the
Mountain Lawn. Allow the fresh mountain air and gentle guided yoga practice to
invigorate your day of adventure ahead. Complimentary.Weather
permitting.
Time
June 1 (Saturday) 7:00 am - August 31 (Saturday) 7:00 am
Bike Big Sky is a FREE community mountain biking group with BSCO and Gallatin Alpine Sports. Meet at posted locations at 6 p.m. Monday evenings. Visit BSCO.org or swing by
Event Details
Bike Big Sky is a FREE community mountain biking group with BSCO and Gallatin Alpine Sports. Meet at posted locations at 6 p.m. Monday evenings. Visit BSCO.org or swing by GAS for ride information.
Time
June 10 (Monday) 6:00 pm - August 19 (Monday) 6:00 pm
Bike Big Sky is a FREE community mountain biking group with BSCO and Gallatin Alpine Sports. Meet at posted locations at 6 p.m. Monday evenings. Visit BSCO.org or swing by
Event Details
Bike Big Sky is a FREE community mountain biking group with BSCO and Gallatin Alpine Sports. Meet at posted locations at 6 p.m. Monday evenings. Visit BSCO.org or swing by GAS for ride information.
Time
June 17 (Monday) 6:00 pm - August 26 (Monday) 6:00 pm