The Yellow Handkerchief (2008)

Cast includes:
CHARACTER	ACTOR/ACTRESS	RATING
Brett Hanson	William Hurt
Martine	Kristen Stewart	½
May	Maria Bello
Gordy	Eddie Redmayne	½

Review

William Hurt, Kristen Stewart and Eddie Redmayne may sound like an unlikely trio for a road trip, and indeed they are, which is part of the charm of this little sleeper called The Yellow Handkerchief – an unlikely road movie. The following highly disparate characters meet at a diner in the middle of nowhere, USA: an introverted but clearly worldly middle-aged man recently released from a lengthy prison sentence for an unknown crime he may or may not have committed; a feeble-minded young drifter with little to cling onto but his car; and a recently rejected precocious and independent teenage girl with enough backbone (or naivety) to embark on a trip with the aforementioned two. What they have in common initially is their lack of belonging; they aren't running away from things as much as they are searching for something new. And what they gain isn't necessarily what they seek, but rather friendship and understanding. The Yellow Handkerchief is an indie film with a rare poetic beauty. It represents life more than trying to lecture us about it or being clever – which is refreshing. And the performances by the three leads, plus the ever wonderful Maria Bello, accentuates the effect.