The Yellow Sail - DVD

Film: Based on the novel "The Yellow Handkerchief" by Peter Hamill and its first film adaptation, a 1977 Japanese work, Indian-born Briton Udayan Prasad presents a very special film about hope and true love.

William Hurt stars in "The Yellow Sail" as Brett Hanson, just released from prison, who, undecided about what to do next in his life, finds himself stranded in a small Louisiana town. There he meets young Martine (Kristen Stewart) and the somewhat simple-minded Gordy (Eddie Redmayne). He joins the mismatched carpool, though really only to get to the next town. But the carpool stays together longer than planned and embarks on a road trip across Louisiana. Along the way, he reveals more and more of his past to his young companions, of the love of his life, May (Maria Bello), whom he believes he has lost forever due to a moment of total loss of control. But the end of the journey offers a big surprise not only for Brett.

"The Yellow Sail"tells its story in wonderful images, which can unfold magnificently in the extremely worn production. This also applies to the acting performances of the unequal trio, who all act in a restrained but very powerful manner. The fact that these three completely independent characters harmonize so well with each other and that the discreet acting of the actors doesn't get lost in the slow flow of the production is the real feat of this film. For easily the whole thing could have become tough and boring. But Udayan Prasad has managed to establish such an engaging atmosphere through the interplay of location (Louisiana), music and story that the viewer is virtually captivated by the slow narrative. And it's worth getting involved with the story, which may seem a bit unwieldy at first. For the ending offers an extremely beautiful, emotional resolution that might bring a little tear to many a viewer's eye.

Admittedly, for a broad mainstream audience, "The Yellow Sail" is not the right stuff, even though "Twilight" star Kristen Stewart adds a real teen star to the cast. Rather, it's aimed at a smaller arthouse audience that doesn't need frantic cuts, booming music and fast-paced action to define something as good cinema entertainment. For those who are willing to engage with Prasad's storytelling, who are able to discover beauty in the slowness of a story, and who enjoy losing themselves completely in the images of a film, "The Yellow Sail" can be warmly recommended.

Picture + Sound: "The Yellow Sail" is an extremely quiet film, which is why the DVD's sound also remains discreet and restrained throughout. As for the picture, the atmospherically mixed colours and decent overall sharpness are particularly pleasing. All in all, well implemented, but technically rather unspectacular.

Extras: Unfortunately, the DVD has nothing to offer extras.

Conclusion: "The Yellow Sail" is an arthouse drama that lives primarily from its expressive images and the good actors. The DVD is technically well realized, but the lack of any bonus material is disappointing. Who appreciates small independent productions with high show value and does not mind an extremely worn staging, this film can still be recommended with a clear conscience

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp