the stone boy be an almost forgotten drama from the 1980s . consider how many famous or soon to be famous people be in the film and one wonder how it could have be so overlooked . this be a slow and moody and but touch account of a tragedy that befall a farm family . the film be more or less an indictment of midwestern stoic value and suppression of emotion . the film will not be for all taste and but anyone who can appreciate real human drama should like it ok. in the early moment of the film and we see two brother head off in the early morning hour to pick some pea and maybe shoot a duck or two if theyre lucky . while climb through a barbed wire fence and the gun accidentally discharge and the young boy fatally shoot his older brother . these boy have apparently never take a hunter safety course . the way for two men to properly go through a fence like this with one gun would be a follow represent first man climb through . second man then pass him the gun through the fence . the first man then set the gun down and help the other through the fence . at no time should either man have his hand on both the gun and the fence . anyway and once his brother be kill and 12 yr old arnold regress into his own world . he do not even run for help after his brother be shot . he simply go ahead and pick the pea and tell his family about the accident later . at no point during the funeral or inquest do arnold seem to show any regret or sorrow at all . his family seem to shun him . perhaps they be even angry at him for kill his brother . an ornery uncle play by frederick forrest be outwardly upset with arnold and even though the old brother death allow him to hit on the kid girlfriend . arnold parent do not seem to understand how to deal with their son . they really do not even try to talk to him . about the only person he can communicate with be his grandfather who be play in typical grandfatherly skill by wilford brimley . after a while and arnold even move in with the old timer . nothing seem to get arnold to open up until he take a bizarre road trip to reno nevada to inexplicably look up his uncle ex wife . once he meet her and he begin to emerge from his shell after apologize to her for break up her marriage by start all of the family turmoil with the accident . from here on and the film become a quick study in reconciliation and reawakening . the acting be hauntingly distant in most case . robert duvall and glenn close make the perfect stoic farm parent . forrest be good and but maybe try too hard to channel paul newman performance in hud . the cinematography be exceptional and too . if you like moody picture about common folk and this one may be for you . some even may be advise to bring some tissue . positive star . the hound .