Thrillers and comedies have been the normal order of the day at the weekend box office. For those looking for something more sensitive and deeper, then the dramatic-romance The Yellow Handkerchief [YHNKR] could be a good choice. William Hurt [WHURT] and Maria Bello [MBELL] star in the remake of a Japanese feature.
Hurt plays Brett who comes out of prison in post-Katrina Louisiana. He joins a girl named Martine played by Kristin Stewart [KSTEW] and a young man named Gordy played by Eddie Redmayne on a road trip. The three come together for reasons of their own and each stop in the road trip represents their transformations. Brett makes his way to his ex-wife, played by Maria Bello, and attempts to rebuild his life with her and their son.
The trip goes through the state of Louisiana and paints an intimate portrait at how past devastation affects a people’s mood. The lush scenery is a metaphor for the bottled up emotion of each character as they struggle to deal with their own loneliness. The film ultimately highlights redemption and a second chance at love. With enough love, a place having suffered from disaster can be brought back to life.
One of the film’s strong points is its two female leads. Stewart is one of the most in demand young actresses after her success with the Twilight series. This film represents is an opportunity for her to show her acting skills which have gotten lost in the hype of the Twilight films. She gets to play a regular girl in The Yellow Handkerchief which makes her a much more interesting actress.
It is rare for Bello to give a bad performance. She usually improves most of the films she’s been in. Bello has really shown her range from films like A History of Violence to Thank You for Smoking to The Jane Austen Book Club. She’s a believable actress who adds another credible performance to her resume with The Yellow Handkerchief.
Tag(s): YHNKR, WHURT, MBELL, KSTEW