Virginia Film Festival

A truly distinctive and sparse period piece, Men Go to Battle imagines the different paths that two brothers take during the American Civil War. Francis and Henry Mellon live together on a struggling farm in rural Kentucky, and as the war rages on beyond the farm’s borders, the brothers are forced into close quarters. After their relationship reaches a breaking point, Henry disappears into the night to join the Union army, leaving the two to find out separately what the approaching war will bring. With authentic characters and evocative cinematography, director Zachary Treitz re-creates a grand epic on an intimate scale, making for an impressive debut feature. Discussion with director Zachary Treitz, actor David Maloney, and moderator William Little (U.Va.)