Marshall Gaddis in Person Staged in Butte, Jost's seventh feature has at its core a stark image: the twisted remains of the abandoned Bell Diamond mine, cast away like many of the town's inhabitants. Improvised acting in the Cassavetes vein-but low-key, closer to the ground-and a real-time narrative work towards the slow unfolding of the story. It tells of a Vietnam veteran, Jeff (Marshall Gaddis) whose wife, Cathy (Sarah Wyss), is leaving him in frustration. There is no loving this seemingly insensate man, yet Bell Diamond captures him at a moment of awareness, thus of hope. Despite the rigor of Jost's style, the film is a moving portrait, particularly in directing our attention toward the pain of Jeff and his equally inarticulate male friends. Detailing the emotional topography of a place, Jost, a roving regionalist, mined the town for actors-all but the lead, Marshall Gaddis, are Butteans.