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It's sort of astonishing that Diggers actually got made. Not that it doesn't deserve to exist, but it's a throwback to the days when movies didn't have to compete quite so aggressively for entertainment dollars. A chamber piece set on Long Island among a community of clam diggers in 1976, Diggers offers an ensemble of good actors the opportunity to explore real emotions on a human scale. There are no special effects, no violent catharses, no hot-button issues, and no loincloths.

A charmingly understated Paul Rudd (Knocked Up) plays Hunt, a second-generation digger whose father has just died out on the water, leaving him and his sister Gina (Maura Tierney from "ER") faced with the realization that they have nobody left to answer to. Whether or not they act on this newfound freedom is another thing altogether, because they've been raised, like everyone else on the South Shore, to accept life as it is and not think about what could be.

No one exemplifies this attitude more than Frankie, played by Ken Marino ("The State," The Ten), who also wrote the script (and incidentally gave himself the best role). Frankie is a father of five fed up with corporate interests eating into the waters he depends on for his livelihood. Tasked with choosing his rage against the system over feeding his family, Frankie has to suck it up and apply for a job from the very company he's been railing against. There is no other choice than responsibility.

Rounding out the fine cast are Sarah Paulson ("Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip") as Julie, Frankie's loving harpy of a wife, Ron Eldard (Bastard Out of Carolina) as the suave gigolo who helps Gina get over her grief, and charismatic Josh Hamilton (Kicking and Screaming) as a pot dealer with philosophical inclinations. Lauren Ambrose ("Six Feet Under") also shows up as Manhattanite Zoe in the story's weakest role, not given much to do but flirt quirkily and give Hunt's photographs the stamp of approval. Thankfully, she doesn't also suggest that he gentrify SoHo with her and have a one-man show--Marino redeems this particular plotline late in the game with a nice exchange that Ambrose pulls off well.

Director Katherine Dieckmann (A Good Baby) doesn't get in the way of the storytelling, using subtle camera work and naturalistic photography. She doesn't quite have a knack for comedy, and a few scenes here and there seemed a bit stifled. The main failing in the directing, however, is in convincing the audience that they want to watch this movie. It's a small movie that feels small instead of intimate. Even so, it's a triumph that Diggers has made it this far, and it's worth supporting for bucking trends so completely. In its gentle heart, Diggers is just four guys sitting on the steps of a funeral home, not needing to say anything at all.