PROJECT·EXTREMIS

Featured Prior Credit

The Keeper

One man. A long walk. The names he refused to let disappear.

The Keeper (2024) follows Army veteran George Eshleman as he hikes the Appalachian Trail carrying 363 military name tapes, each representing a veteran or service member lost to suicide. It is a true-story drama about veteran hikers who help The Keeper as he battles depression, PTSD, and suicidal ideation on the trail.

Disambiguation: this is The Keeper (2024), the George Eshleman Appalachian Trail film, not the unrelated titles released under the same name.

363

Name Tapes Carried

16

Premiere Theaters

2,190+

Appalachian Trail (mi)

17.6

Veteran Suicides / Day

Daily veteran suicide figure, VA 2024 National Veteran Suicide Prevention Annual Report, reporting on calendar year 2022.

Watch The Full Film

The Keeper (2024), full feature, hosted on YouTube. Trailer: watch on YouTube. (Hosting needs re-verification, the full film may no longer be on YouTube.)

The Premiere Strategy

Sixteen theaters, chosen on purpose.

A targeted release, not a wide one.

The American Legion reported that The Keeper premiered in 16 theaters selected for proximity to military bases. The release included a Los Angeles red-carpet and Q&A event. Before each screening, audiences saw the American Legion's Be the One veteran suicide-prevention PSA.

That is the credible frame for this film: small theatrical footprint, deliberate community fit, veteran-organization validation, and a trust bridge to the conversations that follow.

Where to Watch

Currently streaming.

Subscription

  • Amazon Prime Video
  • Prime Video with Ads

Free, Ad-Supported

  • The Roku Channel
  • Hoopla
  • Plex Player
  • Fawesome

Rent, Buy, Own

  • Amazon (rent or purchase)
  • DVD
  • Blu-ray

Availability via JustWatch. Last verified May 2026. Platforms can change without notice.

Release History

Three release windows.

  • TheatricalMay 27, 2024 (Fandango).
  • VOD / DigitalNovember 8, 2024 (MovieInsider).
  • DVD / Blu-rayMay 6, 2025 (MovieInsider).

Directors of record: Angus Benfield and Kendall Bryant Jr.

Who This Film Reaches

Six audiences, six activations.

Veterans & Active Duty

Direct relevance to PTSD, suicide prevention, survivor guilt, and camaraderie.

Base-adjacent screenings, veteran org posts, military podcasts, peer-support orgs.

Military & Survivor Families

The name-tape device is emotionally legible and remembrance-centered.

Family-focused screenings, moderated Q&A, resource cards.

Veteran Service Organizations

Already validated by American Legion and Be the One presence.

American Legion, VFW, Team RWB, Mission 22-style partnerships.

Mental Health & Suicide Prevention

The film can serve as a conversation opener with trained facilitators.

Screenings with clinicians or peer specialists, crisis-resource follow-up.

Appalachian Trail & Outdoor

Trail culture is central to the story, not decorative.

Trail towns, hiking podcasts, outfitter events, A.T. clubs.

Faith & Civic Communities

Themes of purpose, endurance, remembrance, and keep going translate well.

Churches, civic halls, Memorial Day and Veterans Day programming.

Creative Comparables

Tone comps, not box-office comps.

Mending the Line

Tone comp. Veteran healing, outdoor recovery, intergenerational connection.

Thank You for Your Service

Warning comp. Critical praise did not unlock the audience theatrically.

The Way

Pilgrimage comp. A long walk becomes a way to survive loss.

Why It Belongs Beside Project Extremis

Proof of tone, access, and ethical handling.

The Keeper and Project Extremis are different stories, but they sit on the same shelf. Both are about veterans carrying weight that civilians cannot see. Both are about the difference one honest piece of storytelling can make for a viewer, for a family, for a person at 2 a.m. in a dark place.

The Keeper is the proof that this team can tell a veteran-trauma story with dignity, restraint, and real community relevance: a clear path from story to support, screenings, crisis-resource visibility, veteran-community partnerships, and conversations that can move someone from silence toward help.

If You Or Someone You Know Needs Help

Veterans Crisis Line

Dial 988, then press 1. Text 838255. Or chat at VeteransCrisisLine.net.

Available 24 hours a day, every day. You do not have to be enrolled in VA benefits or health care to call.

Read About Project ExtremisMeet the Producer

Works Cited

Sources and references.