The Yellow Handkerchief

"A love lost in the past. A love struggling for a future."

2009 1h 42m EN

😐

6.3

MID

★6.3TMDB · 167

DramaRomance

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A road trip through Louisiana transforms three strangers who were originally brought together by their respective feelings of loneliness.

“A love lost in the past. A love struggling for a future.”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

William Hurt
Brett Hanson
Maria Bello
May
Kristen Stewart
Martine
Eddie Redmayne
Gordy
Kaori Momoi
Motel Owner
Emanuel Cohn
Doctor Leonard
Nurith Cohn
Female Nurse
Veronica Russell
Warden Genaro

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Udayan Prasad
Writers: Erin Dignam, Pete Hamill, Yoji Yamada
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 2% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 17 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Udayan Prasad, shot by Chris Menges. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Eef Barzelay. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Christopher Tellefsen shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

William Hurt and Maria Bello and Kristen Stewart carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "A love lost in the past. A love struggling for a future.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0954990 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Udayan Prasad directs. Chris Menges behind the camera. Eef Barzelay scores. Christopher Tellefsen cuts. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Earned back only 2% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
2Released 17 years ago.
3Directed by Udayan Prasad, shot by Chris Menges. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Eef Barzelay. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Christopher Tellefsen shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6William Hurt and Maria Bello and Kristen Stewart carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "A love lost in the past. A love struggling for a future.".
8IMDB entry: tt0954990 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

The technical file

Cinematography: Chris Menges
Original score: Eef Barzelay
Editing: Christopher Tellefsen
Production design: Monroe Kelly
Costume design: Caroline Eselin
Makeup / hair: Sterfon Demings
Sound: Michael Barry
Runtime: 102 min · 1h 42m
Status: Released
Budget: $15,000,000
Box office: $317,000
Return: 2% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG-13
IMDB: The Yellow Handkerchief (2009)

Also by

Udayan Prasad

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

Wuchak2021-06-19
★ 8/10
Moving road flick in Louisiana about three outcast strangers seeking… a home Three strangers meet in post-Katrina Louisiana and travel across the state to New Orleans. The group consists of a 15 year-old girl (Kristen Stewart), a geeky teen who wants to be her boyfriend (Eddie Redmayne) and a mysterious older man (William Hurt) whom the other two learn more about as the trip proceeds. A fourth character is the woman living on the shore who the man longs for (Maria Bello). "The Yellow Handkerchief" (2008) is a modest drama/road movie with quality actors and a story about three outcasts looking for love and a home while one of them desperately needs redemption. It smacks of real life and leaves you with a good feeling. Yes, it’s mundane, but it effectively shows how ordinary people and their stories are more interesting than the most overblown effects-laden extravaganzas. Look no further than the simple staring contest between the characters played by Stewart and Hurt. It succeeds where the similar “My Own Love Song” (2010) drops the ball. Shooting took place in February, 2007, when Stewart was almost 17. I’m not a fan, but she looks fine and does a great job. The film runs 1 hour, 42 minutes, and was shot in Louisiana. GRADE: A-
CinemaSerf2024-07-13
★ 6/10
Hmmm. I'm not really sure what the point of this road trip movie is. It starts off with the unlikely scenario of "Gordy" (Eddie Redmayne) sitting in his convertible when he is joined by complete stranger "Martine" (Kristen Stewart) to whom he has already taken a bit of a shine from afar. He's probably best described as inept, she carefree - but nervous of being alone with this fellow. Luckily, as the heavens open they alight on fellow traveller "Brett" (William Hurt) who has just been released from prison and so the three of them embark on a drive that opens up their personalities to each other (and us) for a bit of scrutiny. To be fair to Redmayne, he at least appears to be doing some acting here - the other two seem as disinterested in this whole enterprise of encouraging these three erstwhile rudderless individuals to some purpose as I was becoming. Things become more complex when we discover a little more about why "Brett" was in jail, and we meet his wife "May" (Maria Bello) but I was still wondering why anyone thought this would make for an interesting film. The characters seem created and contrived to force a story upon us - there's not much natural, or plausible, about this developing scenario. There is some nice photography of a luscious Louisiana but otherwise this is more of an "Elsie & Sid" than a "Thelma & Louise". Maybe I just wasn't in the mood, but this did nothing at all for me, sorry.