'The Yellow Handkerchief' Movie Review

'The Yellow Handkerchief' Movie Review


Will ‘The Yellow Handkerchief’ Receive Recognition it Deserves?

Kristen Stewart’s New Limited Release Excellent, But No Chance of Reaching ‘New Moon’ and ‘The Runaways’ Status

Written by: Karen Benardello


‘The Yellow Handkerchief,’ the romantic drama that features several big name actors, is the latest independent movie to be overlooked by both the American audience and big name studios. Since the underrated film is set against the backdrop of a ravaged Louisiana during the initial post-Hurricane Katrina period, it unfairly received a limited release by distributor Samuel Goldwyn Films. Having premiered at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival and financed by four European private investors, ‘The Yellow Handkerchief,’ which stars William Hurt, Maria Bello and Kristen Stewart, was released February 26, 2010, three years after filming took place.

The movie, which is loosely based on a short story by Pete Hamill, was directed by Udayan Prasad, and is one of his more famous works. The story follows ex-convict Brett Hanson, played by Hurt, after he is released from serving a six-year sentence. He meets teenagers Martine, played by Stewart, who has just runaway from her family, and Gordy, played by Eddie Redmayne, an outcast trying to gain acceptance. The two teens offer to give Brett a ride home to see his ex-wife May, played by Bello. Along the way, the audience discovers their relationships parallel the devastation left by the hurricane, as it’s their nature to destruct everything around them. Brett is left to wonder if he should reconcile with May, Martine struggles with her deteriorating relationship with her family and Gordy has to overcome Martine’s constant rejections.

‘The Yellow Handkerchief’ could have easily been released after its Sundance premiere to provide emotional support to the disaster-stricken state. Not only did it provide some much needed jobs to Louisiana residents when it was filmed there in early 2007 in a reported 43 locations, including Morgan City and New Orleans, it also shows how people are coping with the disaster. Even with several big name stars, the movie isn’t a big budget blockbuster fantasy movie; it shows how Louisianans are struggling with their lives, but are moving on after the hurricane.

Samuel Goldwyn Films also could have capitalized earlier on Stewart’s growing popularity and fame. After all, 2007 was her breakout year, having starred in the box office hits ‘The Messengers’ and ‘In the Land of Women,’ and the critically acclaimed ‘Into the Wild.’ But ‘The Yellow Handkerchief’ was brushed aside after the release of her most successful films, ‘Twilight’ and ‘The Twilight Saga: New Moon’ were released in 2008 and 2009, respectively.

Stewart showed her versatility by taking a step away from some of her previous films, including ‘In the Land of Women,’ ‘Into the Wild’ and ‘Twilight,’ where her characters became dependent on the men in her life in order to feel like she can survive. She proved that while Martine was looking for acceptance, she could survive on her own. Stewart also veered from injecting Martine with the self-righteousness seen in her ‘Twilight’ character Bella Swan.

The movie should also be recognized, as Prasad was able to beautifully translate writer Erin Dignam’s screenplay onto the screen. He successfully matched Hurt and Bello together, a match up that seemed unlikely to work at first because of their acting styles and previous choice of roles. But the two were effectively able to translate Brett and May’s love, tension and struggles onto the screen.

‘The Yellow Handkerchief’ should be seen by everyone who enjoys a realistic, inspirational, uplifting film. While it will garner attention for its PG-13 rating for sexual content, some violence, language and thematic elements, the movie had the ill-fated fortune to be released between the release of Stewart’s high profile movies ‘New Moon’ and the Joan Jett biopic ‘The Runaways.’