The Yellow Handkerchief (2008)

A road trip through Louisiana transforms three strangers who were originally brought together by their respective feelings of loneliness.

Director:

Udayan Prasad

Writers:

Pete Hamill (story), Erin Dignam (screenplay)

Stars:

William Hurt, Maria Bello, Kristen Stewart

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
William Hurt	...	Brett Hanson
Maria Bello	...	May
Kristen Stewart	...	Martine
Eddie Redmayne	...	Gordy
Kaori Momoi	...	Motel Owner
Emmanuel Cohn	...	Male Doctor (as Emanuel K. Cohn)
Nurith Cohn	...	Female Nurse
Veronica Russell	...	Pregnant Warden
Grover Coulson	...	Farnsworth
Lisha Brock	...	Waitress
Lucy Faust	...	Snotty Girl (as Lucy Adair Faust)
John Gregory Willard	...	Blonde
Rebecca Newman	...	Ilene
Ross Britz	...	Friend
Marshall Cain	...	Ferry Driver

Storyline

One lazy afternoon in a backwater Louisiana town, Martine takes a leap into an unfamiliar convertible. The driver, Gordy, an awkward young itinerant who eyed her in the diner earlier, isn't displeased to find this pretty sylph in his front seat. Soon they meet Brett, a laconic, humble man just released from prison. Martine isn't keen on going solo with Gordy, and now it's raining cats and dogs, so she invites Brett along, and the unlikely trio sets out, each person unsure of the destination. What ensues is a journey through the lush green byways of rural Louisiana and into the depths of these characters' souls.

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Plot Keywords:

louisiana | road trip | search for father | color in title | teenage boy | 

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Taglines:

A love lost in the past. A love struggling for a future.

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for sexual content, some violence, language and thematic elements

Details

Official Sites:

Facebook Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

19 November 2009 (Germany)

Also Known As:

Das gelbe Segel

Filming Locations:

Morgan City, Louisiana, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$15,500,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$37,296 (USA) (26 February 2010)

Gross:

$317,040 (USA) (14 May 2010)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Arthur Cohn Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

102 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital DTS SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

To prepare for the role, William Hurt spent a night in Louisiana State Penitentiary - better known as Angola.

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Quotes

Brett Hanson: [about May] She wasn't afraid - of me, maybe anything.
Gordy: Shit, everyone's afraid of me. I never hurt a flea.
Martine: I'm not afraid of you, I get annoyed.

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Connections

Remake of The Yellow Handkerchief (1977)

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Soundtracks

"Bottle Up And Go"
Traditional arrangement by Snooks Eaglin
Performed by Snooks Eaglin

User Reviews

When slow is good, and actors shine

A perfect crescendo. During an admittedly slow first half of the film, the audience is drawn in to the actors and the cajun background, its lush greenery and its languid place in Americana.

The actors hold up brilliantly at this pace -- William Hurt is a standout and a more-than-worthwhile Oscar candidate as the sullen, "ghost"-like ex-con and Eddie Redmayne jumps to the fore as a bizarre, overgrown child. The scenery and the pull of post-Katrina New Orleans is powerful, forcing personal choices and sticking in the back of our minds.

Then, when the action turns, and the plot suddenly speeds forward for the latter half of the movie, the viewer has already been drawn so deep inside these rich, pained characters and the twisted swampland that its emotional force, punctuated by minute changes in Hurt's eyes, knowingly elicits empathy and sympathy.

The force of the movie is the slowness, the languid pace that draws the viewer in, and the acting, as good an ensemble as anything that I've viewed this year. It is slow, but slow can be good, good as a cajun conversation.