Spoiler warning! The Yellow Handkerchief was not the tear jerker I expected, which is a good thing.

I attended the 45th Annual Chicago Film Festival Sunday night with a friend. It was my first time going to a film festival of any kind so it was a nice experience for a newbie who’d eventually like to attend bigger venues in the future. I don’t do reviews with any sort of depth that didn’t involve immediate one-word reactions before so be gentle with me.

The film opened up with a haunting score intertwined with the title and credit sequence. It was actually quite beautiful.

And our first glimpse of one of the four main characters is Brett, played by William Hurt. He’s just released from jail. From previous reviews I’ve read, there were a few that pointed out that it had a slow going start. I personally didn’t get this feeling because I thought the film moved along well.

Here’s what surprised I and my friend most about this film…

It’s endearing humorous.

Not bludgeon you to the head funny or wise-ass funny, but certain character interactions and reactions make it so. Some are subtle; others are caught if you’re observant. Even the lines and how it’s delivered will make you laugh. Many of these moments occur between Gordy (Eddie Redmayne) and Martine (Kristen Stewart). Hearing the audience laugh along with me was pretty awesome.

William Hurt’s character had the heaviest storyline and his experience in prison gave him a different perspective on life and made for an excellent balance when paired with two seemingly lost kids. His concern for Martine’s naivete after they discovered he was an ex-convict (and was ready to go their separate ways) was both touching and made me laugh. “I’m scared for you.” He says to Martine. “You have no judgment.”

Now let me talk about Kristen Stewart, because she is the reason I saw the film. And may I add that while I don’t have a southern accent nor would I be able to tell how authentic one should be, Kristen was downright adorable with hers. She and Eddie are the highlight of the film.

Not to get off track, Kristen plays Martine. The 15 year-old ballet-dancing beautiful girl who compulsively hitches a ride with Gordy. I wouldn’t call her a damaged girl, just a lonely one who feels the emotional abandonment from an absentee father and the need to know that someone genuinely cared. Her spontaneity was likely a desperate effort to grab the attention of her father, who remained unseen throughout the movie.

I can’t talk about Martine without Gordy though (they’re almost like a packaged deal even they have only known each other for days); because it is when they’re together that the audience really enjoy themselves. Myself included. The moment you see Gordy on screen, you’d immediately think that there’s something not quite right in the head with him, but you later discover that he is a misunderstood multi-talented young man whose boyish quirkiness (that can sometimes come across as downright awkward) hasn’t quite caught up with his mature intelligence.

Martine is weirded out by his behavior in the beginning, which got crazier even later, but as their journey continues, it helped that through her many conversations with Hurt’s Brett, who becomes sort of like a father figure to her, she learns to look beyond what she sees in the surface and truly sees Gordy for who he is, with positive results.

When they finally got together, the transition was so subtle and implied the following morning that my heart not only melted for the two but laughed out loud. Brett’s reaction in the diner as the two lovebirds sat together was sweetly hysterical. For anyone who saw it tonight, the two laughing at the back row was probably my friend and I. Sorry about that. I really just loved this movie and will no doubt by it on DVD as soon as they get their act together and release it already.

See it for yourself and form your own opinion though. I found this film to be very much my taste.

Source.

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