The Yellow Handkerchief

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source: The Yellow Handkerchief

Ex-convict Brett (Hurt) hitches a ride to New Orleans with two teenagers: Martine (Stewart) and Gordy (Redmayne). All three are lost and looking for someone to care. Ever notice that many of the movies out today have the main character as coming out of prison? It does open up all kinds of possibilities. Well, that is what we have here. I would say there could have been some uncomfortable moments with these three, but not to worry. It's all good. And, this is Brett's story and the kids get him to reveal it as they trek to New Orleans, and what a story it is. All throughout I kept an eye and an ear to anything that would refer to a Yellow Handkerchief. I kept asking why in the world would someone title this as that and never mention or show anything close? Okay, to be fair, there was a clue: May (Bello) did have a yellow sail on her boat. HA ! Hardly a handkerchief. I don't think I have ever seen a yellow sail on a boat. Until now. The acting by all three was exceptional. Hurt's understated role spoke volumes and carried the movie. Stewart surprised me and I believe she can run with the big dogs (Yeah, it's hard to let it go). Redmayne's character, while as obnoxious and annoying as the script called for, actually grew before our eyes. Redmayne showed he has range. And, Bello was sexy, beautiful and perfect as Brett's love interest. A very touching and honest love story. You might want to have a box of Kleenex within easy reach near the end of this movie. I'm just saying. But this is 2010, and the movie is listed as 2008. What happened? Why wasn't it out sooner? We'll never know. Violence: Yes, but mild. Sex: No. Nudity: No. There is a shower scene but nothing is shown. Language: Yes, one F-bomb was heard, and you could almost miss it.

i was looking forward to seeing this movie. i went to the video store and rented it only to come home and play it and see that they don't offer any captioning options at all. this is very unfair to those of us who are deaf/hard of hearing and need subtitles. they will loose out on DVD sales. i really wanted to watch this too. it just makes me angry when captions aren't offered on dvds. does anyone know of any copies with captions? in English. looked like a good movie. bummer. thanks for the help. -D. i'll just rent something else.

I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. One of the best "chick flick" movies and even my whole family watched it. I highly recommend watching this. Some poignant scenes ....made me cry towards the end. I believe I'm starting to like Kirsten as an actress, I am not a fan of Twilight. William Hurt portrays his character well. By spending time in a confined space on his own accord was a great idea on his part or the director;s, Humbling himself to understand the character and placing himself deep within the role intensified his part in this movie. I loved this movie. I loved how this movie explains loneliness can affect lives and what some can do to go to distance to achieve happiness and harmony. But I might be wrong...that is just my opinion and maybe my opinion doesn't really matter. What matters is that I enjoyed this movie and I think others will enjoy it also. It's worth a chance

After accidentally killing a stranger in a fight, a middle-aged man down South is sentenced to six years in prison; once behind bars, he asks his volatile wife for a divorce, and yet upon his release finds he has strong desires to see her again and rekindle their rocky romance. Udayan Prasad directed this rambling adaptation of Pete Hamill's short story, one which is split between staccato flashbacks and a wan current plot (involving the ex-convict's two teenage traveling partners) which fails to propel the picture forward. William Hurt does some amazingly low-keyed work in the lead, but he can't carry the movie all by himself. Chris Menges' cinematography ably captures the backwater stretches of a strangely underpopulated Louisiana, and there's grit and conviction in Maria Bello's performance as Hurt's shrimp-fisher wife (even though her role, as written, is a wheeze). Still, the two kids (Kristen Stewart and Eddie Redmayne) are completely unreal, undermining this road trip with an irritatingly acrid artificiality which nearly stalls the movie out before getting us to the final gate. *1/2 from ****

THE YELLOW HANDKERCHIEF is a very quiet, small film that depends on dialogue rather than action. It began as a short story by Pete Hamill and was adapted for the screen by Erin Dignam. As directed with quiet intensity by Indian director Udayan Prasad the film is more an exploration of isolated individuals who for different reasons do not fit into society and how four of those individuals discover themselves through their interaction with each other. Brett Hanson (William Hurt) is discharged form prison where he has served six years for manslaughter: he has a history of run-ins with the law and seems to face his release with a certain degree of fear of the outside world. He meets two youngsters - the lonely Martine (Kristen Stewart) who has only a father and an absent one at that, and Gordy (Eddie Redmayne), a Native American asocial misfit itinerant - and because of a sever rain storm the three set out in Gordy's car to find shelter. They stay in motels and gradually each characters past unfolds: the running development is Brett's history of coming close to a significant relationship with a fearful woman named May (Maria Bello) whose fear of relationships was temporarily resolved with her romance with Brett - all of this history is played through flashback scenes when Brett was working oil rigs in New Orleans. Martine and Gordy are fascinated and a bit fearful of Brett as an ex-con but they both connect with Brett's essentially good spirit and insist that he stay with them and allow the bonding youngsters t help him recover the one love he had. Two generations of lost people collide then bond and learn from each other. There is considerable emotional energy in this somewhat laconic film with as much being discovered by silences as with dialogue. William Hurt offers a profoundly understated performance: Stewart and Redmayne provide the perfect naïve foil for his reconnection with the world outside prison walls - both the physical prison he has just left and the mental prison in which he has been hiding all his life. Maria Bello is convincing as the strong woman who fears vulnerability while desperately in need of being loved. This is a film that may not have made it in theaters but is probably best viewed in the intimacy of the home via DVD. Grady Harp.

Road trips in American film have often been flamboyant metaphors—Easy Rider and Thelma and Louise come quickly to mind. The Yellow Handkerchief will not be remembered so readily given its low-key, Southern slow delivery. Yet it has a subtle power to inform the Louisiana bayou landscape with meaning as three strangers embark by auto for destinations barely known. Brett Hanson (William Hurt) has just been released from 6 years in prison for manslaughter. Ignorant of this fact is Martine (Kristen Stewart), a fifteen year-old runaway, who invites Brett to ride with her and Gordy (Eddie Redmayne), who is a stranger and a strange young man having the advantage of a convertible and enough cash for a trip that might end up in New Orleans. Like a European film, Handkerchief takes it time to reveal character, meet a conflict and climax, and settle down to its title, which is unsubtly tied to the handkerchief and a pop tune about an ex-convict "comin' home." Hurt, one of America's finest actors, brings gravity and melancholy to a role that requires sorrow and redemption to ride along with hope. I hope he receives a well-deserved Oscar nod and the grand prize—think of Jeff Bridges' win for Crazy Heart, a more histrionic part than Hurt's understated torture. While I'm still trying to warm up to Kristen Stewart as anything but a vampire lover of little acting range beyond a hesitating delivery, Maria Bello as May, Brett's love interest, is plain persuasive as the one who tries to understand and work with the eccentricities of Brett. Of course, Katrina as family wrecker is quietly in the background, and because this is a story of the search for family, or "belonging to something," the hurricane informs every grasp for lost love as the vanished twin towers might do. If you want slow exposition that offers character development of the first order, then ride along with these three misfits to find a bit of yourself in the journey.

I really enjoyed this movie! The performances were subtle, layered, charming and fascinating and I'm surprised this movie didn't get noticed during the awards season. The raw landscapes, isolated buildings and the retro car they make there journey to a fresh start all make a hauntingly beautiful setting. The movie has a quiet confidence, artistic and a involving, star crossed story that for the first half leaves you in suspense, it follows Brett Hanson played by William Hurt who was recently released after 6 years from prison for manslaughter and hitches a ride to go back home to his wife with a young duo Martine and Gordy played Kristen Stewart in another great indie performance and she was stunning in this movie, Eddie Redmayne plays an awkward oddball but in a touching way and Maria Bello who isn't seen as much plays the wife May was excellent as always and man is she sexy. It just has a great story told in a real, beautiful way and is very relatable that makes it even more effective topped off with a very satisfying and touching ending that makes this an almost flawless indie. Highly recommended! More of a 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Great Love story, I like it when you Americans put a bunch of characters on a road trip. Classic!. This film takes you beyond the bitter part of life back into the sweet. The music just blend in, the camera capture is somewhat 'spiritual'. Simple movie, brought tears to my spirit's eyes. This one truly touches the heart. One great movie making!. Salute. The cast is perfect in their place. People may shine only in a moment in their life. And that moment will shine forever in whosoever is touched by it. I almost give up on Hollywood, but this shows, you still can do it right! Salute ^ ^