The Yellow Handkerchief

Although moving at times, “The Yellow Handkerchief” doesn’t ever quite do its soothing driving montages justice. This certainly speaks against the film, but it should be noted that the aforementioned montages are truly excellent, with Eef Barzelay’s thoughtful soundtrack adding color to beautifully serene, eerie shots of the protagonists barreling along forsaken southern roads in a faded blue convertible. These scenes provide the viewer with brief respites from the occasionally awkward tension of the film’s plot, which focuses on three loners who end up in the same car on a trip through Louisiana. Despite this awkwardness, the tension usually feels genuine, highlighting the honesty of the film’s love story.

In the first scene of “The Yellow Handkerchief,” the viewer is introduced to Brett Hanson (William Hurt), a middle-aged oilrig worker affecting a rougher Dr. Phil, recently released from prison and heading to the local convenience store for a beer. A minute or two later, he meets up with a heartbroken young woman (Kristen Stewart of “Twilight” fame) and an odd, lanky teenage boy from California (Eddie Redmayne) who is pursuing her. Chance unites the three in a single car crossing a river by ferry, and when the ferry’s return trip is cancelled due to a storm, they decide to drive on. Scenes of their road trip south are then interspersed with short flashbacks showing Brett romantically involved with a woman of around his age (Maria Bello).

These flashbacks are pretty obscure at first, but it’s easy to guess that they’ll eventually reveal why Brett was in jail. Knowing little about the movie’s characters that could render their aimless excursion very gripping, this curiosity regarding Brett’s past is about the only thing driving the plot forward at times. There’s no immediate answer among the flashbacks, though a love story begins to unfold in there, eventually emerging as the foremost narrative element of the film.

Although the bulk of the film’s character development occurs in these flashbacks, this love story, along with a second that emerges in the narrative foreground between the other strangers, is fairly well done. Both of these relationships range from extremely endearing at moments to nearly despicable at others, but this often makes them seem more realistic. Neither avoids predictability though, often as a result of the characters’ stereotypical natures; the beautiful young woman first thinks she’s too good for the strange Californian but later reconsiders upon seeing his more tender side. His tender side, by the way, is revealed to her through a photo diary he makes as a “science project” so researchers might later be able to “study abnormality first hand.” It can get a bit corny.

The truly redeeming aspect of this film is its cinematography. The film’s plot does not move too quickly, which allows for a lot of visual development—the beautiful, washed out scenes of a southern road trip really feel that way. The group’s random stops at deserted houses, churches, and gas stations are all very visually appealing. The visual style also gives the film a certain voyeuristic feel, which is enhanced by the limited character development—they all talk about their actions, and eventually Brett actually tells the others the full story which has been hinted at in the flashbacks, yet no one’s thoughts or motivations are ever revealed firsthand.

Though the film can be hokey at times, its strong visual appeal and soundtrack, paired with the honesty of the character interactions, prevent “The Yellow Handkerchief” from sliding into mediocrity.