AllMovie

Set in a barren Montana industrial town, Bell Diamond stars Marshall Gaddis as Jeff, a depressed Vietnam veteran whose marriage is crumbling because of his inability to produce children. Early scenes establish the quiet tension between Jeff and his wife, Cathy (Sarah Wyss). When Cathy decides she can't take it anymore, she leaves him and goes to stay at a friend's house. The rest of the film alternates between scenes of each of them coping with their separation. Cathy, feeling trapped, decides to leave town, while Jeff spends his time wandering the grounds of an abandoned mine with his friends, drinking and talking. Through their conversations it becomes clear that Jeff's emotional problems stem from his experiences in Vietnam ("Jeff got killed over there in 'nam and he doesn't even know it," says one friend), and that he and his friends are all still trying to adjust to life after returning from the war. Late in the film, Jeff ends up at the top of a tower at the mine called Bell Diamond, and his friends have to talk him out of jumping. Cathy does eventually return, but her reunion with Jeff brings with it a surprising twist that ends the film on a decidedly ambiguous note.