Right out of the gate, Steven Soderbergh made an impact on the film world with his first feature Sex, Lies, and Videotape (1989). That film was unlike anything else at the time and ushered in a new era of “indie” films in the 90s. Soderbergh was nominated for an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay for the film and it also won the Palme d’Or at Cannes that year. His second film, Kafka, wasn’t a huge success, but did prove that Soderbergh’s promise was not a fluke. The kid had talent.

Based on A. E. Hotchner’s 1973 memoir of the same name, King of the Hill tells the story of Aaron (Jesse Bradford), a junior high student trying to navigate through the tough reality he faces during the Depression of the 1930s. Aaron’s at a point in his life where he should only be worried about getting good grades and whether or not he’s going to be able to hear the game on radio. Instead, he’s already having to deal with adult issues, like trying to make money and wondering where his next meal is coming from.

Junior High is a cruel place. We’ve all been there and, I suspect, unless you were one of the “chosen ones”, the time you spent there wasn’t always pleasant. Even if you were one of the cool kids, you still had your own issues to deal with. Aaron is ashamed of his home life; his dad (Jeroen Krabbé) is a door-to-door salesman with a product that no one wants, his mother (Lisa Eichhorn) is consumptive, and they live in a low-budget hotel on the wrong side of town. Because of this burning shame, he tells lies. Lots and lots of lies. It’s only a matter of time before it all come crashing down on him.