Over-Under Sideways-Down

A dramatic feature from Cine Manifest, Over-Under, Sideways-Down explores the politics of everyday life in America. The film centers on a working-class couple, Roy and Jan Stennis (played by Robert Viharo and Sharon Goldman), who live, with their two children, in a cramped tract home. An assembly line worker in a steel plant, Roy entertains the escapist fantasy of moving from the local semi-pro baseball team for which he plays third base, to the big leagues. "It's just a matter of being in the right place at the right time," he figures. However, when Roy simultaneously loses his job (by being at the right place at the right time - coming to the defense of a black co-worker and thus being branded a trouble-maker) and his one chance to impress an interested baseball scout, his life begins to unravel. The strains on his marriage increase, intensified by Jan's decision to take a job, and Roy begins to isolate himself both from his family and his fellow workers.

Directed by Eugene Corr, Peter Gessner, Steve Wax, Over-Under Sideways-Down leans on a strong ensemble — Robert Viharo, Sharon Chatten, Roy Andrews — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.

The film landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about drama titles of 1977.