Sophie and the Rising Sun (2016)

Autumn of 1941 in Salty Creek, a fishing village in South Carolina, two interracial lovers are swept up in the tides of history.

Director:

Maggie Greenwald

Writers:

Maggie Greenwald (screenplay), Augusta Trobaugh (novel)

Stars:

Julianne Nicholson, Takashi Yamaguchi, Margo Martindale

3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Julianne Nicholson	...	Sophie Willis
Takashi Yamaguchi	...	Grover Ohta
Margo Martindale	...	Anne Morrison
Diane Ladd	...	Ruth Jeffers
Lorraine Toussaint	...	Salome Whitmore
Karen Wheeling Reynolds	...	Isabel
Mickey Dodge	...	Samille
Don Henderson Baker	...	Dr. Gilbert
Joel Murray	...	Sheriff Cooper
David Dickson Reynolds	...	Reverend Jeffers
Kenneth Charles Graham	...	Harold Jackson
Sabrina Mayfield	...	Matilda
Jan Hartsell	...	Minna
Cali Ward	...	Young Sophie
Meredith Jackson	...	Young Ruth

Storyline

Set in the autumn of 1941 in Salty Creek, a fishing village in South Carolina, the film tells the dramatic story of interracial lovers swept up in the tides of history. As World War II rages in Europe a wounded stranger, Mr. Ohta, appears in the town under mysterious circumstances. Sophie, a native of Salty Creek, quickly becomes transfixed by Mr. Ohta and a friendship born of their mutual love of art blossoms into a delicate and forbidden courtship. As their secret relationship evolves the war escalates tragically. When Pearl Harbor is bombed, a surge of misguided patriotism, bigotry and violence sweeps through the town, threatening Mr. Ohta's life. A trio of women, each with her own secrets - Sophie, along with the town matriarch and her housekeeper - rejects law and propriety, risking their lives with their actions.

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Plot Keywords:

title directed by female | interracial sex | female nudity | f rated | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for some sexuality and nudity

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 January 2016 (USA)

Also Known As:

Sophie si rasaritul

Filming Locations:

McClellanville, South Carolina, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$5,636, 27 January 2017, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$30,348, 31 March 2017

Company Credits

Production Co:

Sophie Film

Technical Specs

Runtime:

105 min

Sound Mix:

6-Track Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This movie marks the second collaboration between Julianne Nicholson and Margo Martindale. They previously appeared together in August: Osage County (2013).

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Quotes

[first lines]
Dr. Gilbert: [examining stranger] Know who he is?
Sheriff Cooper: Don't know why he ended up here. Got no wallet. Not a penny in his pocket. His bus was comin' from New York City. He mighta gotten on anywhere between there and here. Poor fella.
Dr. Gilbert: These are worker's hands. Could be a farmer.
Boy: Is that a Chinaman, Dr. Gilbert?
Dr. Gilbert: Sure is, Zack.
Sheriff Cooper: What's your name, boy?
Stranger: [straining] Ohta.
Sheriff Cooper: Don't even talk English.

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Connections

Features The Monster Walks (1932)

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Soundtracks

It Came Upon the Midnight Clear
Lyrics by Edmund Hamilton Sears (as Edmund H. Sears)
Music by Richard Storrs Willis (as Richard S. Willis)
Performed by the Choir of the First Lutheran Church of Montclair, N.J.

User Reviews

Beautiful film, wonderful acting - gorgeous movie!

"Sophie and the Rising Sun" is a beautifully filmed movie with excellent acting - Margo Martindale and Lorraine Toussaint are particularly strong and give outstanding performances. Visually the film is gorgeous. Wolfgang Held brings magic to the screen with his incredible rich and intense cinematography. Though the story is set in a different time period it vibrates with relevance to today. Sophie comes to us at a time when we can only benefit by the questions it raises. You leave the film with the sad recognition that what was once still exists today. Prejudice and bigotry remains.