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Countenance of Man can be simply described as a beautiful portrayal of this plain thing called life. Although a work of fiction, it recalls memories that touch each of us as we grow to adulthood. Countenance provides us a look into Randall Simmons as he rediscovers his father, Paul, through the family recollections, stories and notes he discovers in the last two days of his father’s life. For Randall, this story begins with feelings of self-guilt brought on by his acknowledgement of his distant indifference and ends with new-found love, respect, and understanding.
The journey of discovery begins with recounts of the father’s days as an adolescent and progresses through the significant, life-changing experiences that influenced his life. These experiences and connections show the profound impact that life had on Paul; growing from a young man wanting to escape his home to middle-aged man wanting to succeed at all cost, to a mature man recognizing he just wants to make amends and make life better for others. This profound journey includes military tours of duty, business challenges, family travesties, the loss of loved ones, and ultimately financial sacrifice. Paul’s story touches with a poignancy, but also provides us with parallels in experience that each of us has faced, or will face in our lives.
The story shows us a just person and his transition into a man as a function of the life experiences he faced. Through a series of chronological vignettes from 1943 through 2015, we are invited into Paul’s family, providing a heart-wrenching look at one person’s life. The vignettes are not intended to position Paul as a hero, but merely to provide a different lens through which his son, Randall can see and understand his father.
