Sounder

It's 1933 Louisiana. Poor negro farmer Nathan Lee Morgan (Paul Winfield) has a hound dog named Sounder. He's bitter about the hard times and his wife (Cicely Tyson) tries to comfort him despite their kids are going hungry. In desperation, he steals from the smokehouse and Sheriff Charlie Young arrests him. That's when a deputy shots Sounder. Nathan is sentenced to a year of hard labor and the family has to struggle without him. Rita Boatwright is the kind white lady. Oldest son David Lee sets off with Sounder to find his father. Kind teacher Camille Johnson wants David Lee to stay with her and attend her school.

Cicely Tyson's stardom is a little before my times. I've seen her in many things but I've never seen her in something like this. She is amazing. There are several scenes where her diminutive statute belies her powerful presence. She reveals an easy dignity, quiet strength, and endearing vulnerability. The pacing can be leisurely at times but it is never boring. The setting is perfectly southern. It presents a time and a place. The family has a desperation and a loving bond. The side characters are all great. The sheriff is a man of rules in a world of racist rules. The kind white lady falters in the face of power but recovers to do the right thing. This movie feels real and the realism accentuates the emotional power. There is nothing more powerful than the reunion. This is not a big story but it is a powerful drama of the heart.