''Chicago Heights'' (alternate title: ''The Last Soul on a Summer Night'') is a 2009 film written and directed by Daniel Nearing. This experimental, non-linear film is an ambitious adaptation of

Sherwood Anderson Sherwood Anderson (September 13, 1876 – March 8, 1941) was an American novelist and short story writer, known for subjective and self-revealing works. Self-educated, he rose to become a successful copywriter and business owner in Cleveland and ...

’s short story cycle, ''

Winesburg, Ohio ''Winesburg, Ohio'' (full title: ''Winesburg, Ohio: A Group of Tales of Ohio Small-Town Life'') is a 1919 short story cycle by the American author Sherwood Anderson. The work is structured around the life of protagonist George Willard, from the ...

''. Noted film critic

Roger Ebert Roger Joseph Ebert (; June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American film critic, film historian, journalist, screenwriter, and author. He was a film critic for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, Ebert beca ...

included ''Chicago Heights'' in his list of the Top Art Films of 2010.

Plot

''Chicago Heights'' is set in the mind of an old writer (William Gray) as lies on his bed. Sensing his death is imminent, his mind drifts, and he remembers people, but can't discern if they are part of his dreams, his memories, or his inventions. The reflections relate to the elderly man’s coming of age (Nathan Walker is played as younger by Andre Truss) and his relationship with his mother (Keisha Dyson). He also sees into the lives of others he might have known, like a

Chicago Heights Chicago Heights is a city in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 27,480 at the 2020 census. In earlier years, Chicago Heights was nicknamed "The Crossroads of the Nation". Currently, it is nicknamed "The Heights". Geograp ...

church pastor (Gerrold Johnson), a professor (Michaele Nicole), and a psychologist (Benny Stewart) who worked with his mother.

Cast

*Andre Truss - Nathan Walker *Keisha Dyson - Elizabeth Walker *Benny Stewart - Narrator / Doctor Reefy *Jay Johnson - Reverend Curtis Hartman *William Gray - Sherwood Anderson / Older Nathan *Ron Jarmon, Jr. - Wash Williams *Simone Wilson - Louise Trunnion *Terah Jene - Helen White *Michaele Nicole - Kate Swift *James Barbee - Dante Hard *Raven Reeves - Calla Hard *Jason Coleman - The Stranger *Brian Harris - Tom Walker *Tovah Hicks - Margot Williams *Barbara Hogu - Mrs. Swift *Homer Talbert - Elizabeth’s Father *Sherri Evans - Mrs. Hartman *Mercedes Kane - Actress / Snow Angel *Leah Shortell - Patient / Snow Angel *Lynn Werth - Margot’s Mother *Lisa Klein - Dead Elizabeth *Linsey Savage - Man in Snowstorm *Victor Collazo - Man in Forest Under the Church *Finnegan Klein-Nearing - Depression

Adaptation

Because ''

'' is a collection of inter-related stories and not a linear novel, many critics thought it could never be made into a film. Nearing and writing partner Rudy Thauberger began adapting the book more than a decade before the film was made. The pair struggled to find a way to adapt the book to fit the conventional three-act film script structure. When it became clear that a straight adaptation wouldn’t work, Nearing decided to draw a line through the book’s key stories by consolidating some characters and taking some carefully considered liberties with the overall story. One of the biggest changes was moving the period story from rural Ohio to a present-day urban setting. Those modifications allowed Nearing to capture the essence of

’s sprawling book in a feature-length film.

Production

''Chicago Heights'' was produced in numerous Illinois communities and cities:

, Lockport, Evanston, University Park, and

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

Music

''Chicago Heights'' music was composed by Minister Raymond Dunlap. Lyrics to "Nobody Knows" and numerous other songs are written by Daniel Nearing and Sherwood Anderson.

Recognition and honors

Recognition and Awards
*Best Art Films of 2010 - Roger Ebert
*In Competition - Flash Forward -

Busan International Film Festival The Busan International Film Festival (BIFF, previously Pusan International Film Festival, PIFF), held annually in Haeundae-gu, Busan (''also'' Pusan), South Korea, is one of the most significant film festivals in Asia. The first festi ...

*Best Film in a Fine Arts Discipline - Berlin Black Film Festival *Official Selection - Black Harvest Film Festival,

Gene Siskel Film Center The Gene Siskel Film Center, formerly The Film Center of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and commonly referred to as The Film Center or The Gene Siskel, is the cinematheque attached to The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. It ...

*Official Selection - Ohio Independent Film Festival *Short Film Corner (as "Nobody Knows),

Festival de Cannes The Cannes Festival (; french: link=no, Festival de Cannes), until 2003 called the International Film Festival (') and known in English as the Cannes Film Festival, is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films o ...

*Honorable Mention, Narrative Category -

Columbus International Film Festival The Columbus International Film + Animation Festival is a Columbus, Ohio, United States annual film festival which is designed to encourage and promote the use of film and video in all forms of education and communication. It is the first and ol ...

References

{{reflist 2009 films 2000s avant-garde and experimental films American nonlinear narrative films American avant-garde and experimental films 2000s English-language films 2000s American films