''The Yellow Handkerchief'' is a 2008 American

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independe ...

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super- ...

. The film is a remake of the 1977 Japanese classic of the same name '' The Yellow Handkerchief'' (幸福の黄色いハンカチ ''Shiawase no kiiroi hankachi'', lit. ''The yellow handkerchief of happiness'') directed by Yoji Yamada. Set in the present-day

American South The Southern United States (sometimes Dixie, also referred to as the Southern States, the American South, the Southland, or simply the South) is a geographic and cultural region of the United States of America. It is between the Atlantic Ocean ...

, ''The Yellow Handkerchief'' stars

William Hurt William McChord Hurt (March 20, 1950 – March 13, 2022) was an American actor. Known for his performances on stage and screen, he received various awards including an Academy Award, BAFTA Award and Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actor. H ...

as Brett Hanson, an ex-convict who embarks on a road trip straight out of prison. Hanson hitches a ride with two troubled teens, Martine (

Kristen Stewart Kristen Jaymes Stewart (born April 9, 1990) is an American actress. The world's highest-paid actress in 2012, she has received various accolades, including a British Academy Film Award and a César Award, in addition to nominations for an Aca ...

) and Gordy ( Eddie Redmayne), traversing post-

Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Katrina was a destructive Category 5 Atlantic hurricane that caused over 1,800 fatalities and $125 billion in damage in late August 2005, especially in the city of New Orleans and the surrounding areas. It was at the time the cost ...

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is bord ...

in an attempt to reach his ex-wife and long-lost love, May ( Maria Bello). Along the way, the three reflect on their existence, struggle for acceptance, and find their way not only through Louisiana, but through life."Interview with William Hurt: Transcript"
Terry Gross for ''

Fresh Air ''Fresh Air'' is an American radio talk show broadcast on National Public Radio stations across the United States since 1985. It is produced by WHYY-FM in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The show's host is Terry Gross. , the show was syndicated to ...

''. February 25, 2010. Plot summary in interview confirms all but Bello character name in introductory plot summary. Retrieved November 30, 2010. Directed by

Udayan Prasad Udayan Prasad (born Sevagram, 4 February 1953) is an Indian-born British television and film director. He is best known for his films ''Brothers in Trouble'' (1995) and ''My Son the Fanatic'' (1997), the latter based on a short story by Hanif Kures ...

and produced by

Arthur Cohn Arthur Cohn (born February 4, 1927) is a film producer and a multiple Academy Award winner. Biography Cohn was born to a Jewish family, the son of Marcus Cohn, a lawyer and leader of the Swiss Zionist movement who moved to Israel in 1949 where h ...

, the film was shown at

Sundance A Sun Dance is a Native American ceremony. Sun dance or Sundance may also refer to: Places ;Canada * Sundance, Calgary, Alberta, a neighbourhood * Sundance, Manitoba, a ghost town ;United States * Sundance, New Mexico, a census-designated pla ...

in 2008 and given a limited release on February 26, 2010, by

Samuel Goldwyn Films Samuel Goldwyn Films is an American film company that licenses, releases and distributes art-house, independent and foreign films. It was founded by Samuel Goldwyn Jr., the son of the Hollywood business magnate/mogul, Samuel Goldwyn. The curr ...

Plot

After being released from prison after six years, ex-convict Brett Hanson becomes lost in a new and unfamiliar world of freedoms and responsibilities. Struggling to reconcile himself with his disastrous past, he embarks on a journey to his home of south Louisiana to reunite with the ex-wife he left behind, May. Along this journey, he meets two teenagers: Martine, a troubled 15-year-old who has just escaped her family, and Gordy, a geeky outcast desperately seeking acceptance. Martine and Gordy offer to give Brett a lift home, and on the ensuing road trip the three reflect on their own personal misfit status while discovering in themselves and each other the acceptance each so deeply desires. Brett weighs whether to start a new life or rekindle his love with May – he's not sure she'll take him back – while Martine reevaluates her relationships with boys and her family and Gordy struggles with his affection for Martine.

Cast

as Brett Hanson *

as Martine * Maria Bello as May * Eddie Redmayne as Gordy *

Kaori Momoi is a Japanese actress. Life and career Momoi was born in Tokyo, Japan. At the age of 12, she traveled to London to study dance at the Royal Ballet Academy. After 3 years, she returned to Tokyo. She graduated from Japan's Bungakuza School of ...

as Motel Owner * Ashlynn Ross as Deliver Girl

Production

In 2003, Cohn obtained remake rights for '' The Yellow Handkerchief'' from

Shochiku () is a Japanese film and kabuki production and distribution company. It also produces and distributes anime films, in particular those produced by Bandai Namco Filmworks (which has a long-time partnership—the company released most, if not al ...

. Financing came from private investments rather than through pre-sales. Cohn commented saying "The money came from four Europeans — three women from

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

: Annette Grisard, Jeannine Eckenstein, Esther Grether and a gentleman by the name of Samuel Falk from

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

— all of whom were anxious to support a film they hoped would be memorable without any scenes of violence, brutality or sex. These investors were not concerned that the film would be considered "small." They felt, as we do, that there are no small films or big films, only films which are good and emotional and others which are not.""Official film website"
Filming took place in February 2007 and was shot in 43 different locations. Hurt prepared for his role by spending four days at

Louisiana State Penitentiary The Louisiana State Penitentiary (known as Angola, and nicknamed the "Alcatraz of the South", "The Angola Plantation" and "The Farm"Sutton, Keith "Catfish".Out There: Angola angling. ''ESPN Outdoors''. May 31, 2006. Retrieved on August 25, 2010. ...

at Angola, including a rare overnight for a volunteer in a maximum-security cell. In an interview, he said he'd also done " u'd call it charitable work... periodically visit ngthe prisons in

Rockland County Rockland County is the southernmost county on the west side of the Hudson River in the U.S. state of New York. It is part of the New York metropolitan area. It is about from the Bronx at their closest points. The county's population, as of t ...

New York State New York, officially the State of New York, is a state in the Northeastern United States. It is often called New York State to distinguish it from its largest city, New York City. With a total area of , New York is the 27th-largest U.S. sta ...

to take a program of hope and self-rehabilitation to the prisoners."

Reception

Critical response

''The Yellow Handkerchief'' received generally positive reviews. It holds a 66% favorable rating on

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wan ...

based on 50 reviews, as well as a weighted average score of 64 out of 100 on

Metacritic Metacritic is a website that aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc ...

Box office

The film grossed $318,623 in 29 theaters in the United States.

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Yellow Handkerchief, The 2008 films 2008 romantic drama films American independent films American remakes of Japanese films American drama road movies American romantic drama films American teen drama films American teen romance films 2000s English-language films Films set in New Orleans Films directed by Udayan Prasad 2000s American films