ABOUT THIS EPISODE
Writer and Director of the film American Solitaire, Aaron Davidman, joins Capital Chat to discuss the debut showing at Goldtown Theater.
American Solitaire Southeast Alaska Pre-Release Film Tour, Highlighting Veterans’ Stories and Gun Violence Prevention, directed by Aaron Davidman; starring Joshua Close; Executive Producers David Oyelowo and Lisa Bruce.
March 23rd, 2026, at 6:30 pm, Goldtown Theater - American Solitaire, is a gripping new narrative film exploring the United States’ complex relationship with guns. Written and directed by Aaron Davidman in his cinematic directorial debut following acclaimed theatrical work (Wrestling Jerusalem), the film offers a deeply personal exploration of trauma, masculinity, and resilience through the story of a wounded veteran navigating reintegration and fatherhood in a country where firearms are deeply ingrained.
The events will include a post-screening conversation with director Aaron Davidman. The limited events in Alaska will be followed by an official theatrical release and Impact Campaign in partnership with Picture Motion. A leading social impact agency that uses film and storytelling to spark cultural dialogue. “American Solitaire came from a place of heartbreak and hope,” said Aaron Davidman. “It’s a story about a veteran, but it’s also about all of us. It explores how we heal, how we carry trauma, and how we try to make sense of a country defined by both violence and resilience. I wrote the screenplay in Haines, where I live in the summer. Bringing the film to Southeast is important to me.”
The film is produced with the support of acclaimed actor and producer David Oyelowo (Selma, Lawmen: Bass Reeves), his company Yoruba Saxon, and producer Lisa Bruce (The Theory of Everything, Darkest Hour). Their collaboration amplifies the film’s cultural resonance and positions it as a vital conversation starter on one of America’s most pressing issues. Davidman workshopped an early draft of the project in a stage-play format (then titled Ghost Town Bardo) at the Chilkat Center for the Arts in Haines as a public reading in the summer of 2021. It was followed by a community conversation with then AK Writer Laureate Heather Lende.
This stage play was the seed for the screenplay that became American Solitaire. Juneau audiences have some familiarity with Davidman’s work. He directed Marcus Gardley’s epic The Road Weeps, The Well Runs Dry, at Perseverance Theater in 2013. His play, Wrestling Jerusalem, was presented at the JACC by Perseverance Theater in 2016. The film version of Wrestling Jerusalem screened at the Juneau Jewish Film Festival in 2019.
Presented by Goldtown Theater in partnership with other community organizations. For more information about the film, please visit americasolitairefilm.com.
