Southern Celluloid- The Heart is a Lonely Hunter

Based on the best-selling book of the same name by Carson McCullers, The Heart is a Lonely Hunter is an touching film about John Singer, a deaf-mute that moves to a small Georgia town and the relationships he builds with the town's characters.  Played by Alan Arkin, Singer moves through the entire film without spoken dialog. While to some viewers this could be challenging to follow through an entire film, Arkin capably carries the story and eventually breaks your heart in the end.  Released in 1968, themes of race relations and civil rights are woven well into the plot as well as struggles with class and wealth that predominate in the small town in which it's set.

What drives the film are the relationships that John Singer struggles to cultivate with those around him.  Obviously lonely and isolated in the new town,  he is completely cut off from others due to their inability to understand his handicap.  Though he works as an engraver in a local jewelry store, his personal relationships tend to revolve around three other characters:  Mick, played by Sondra Locke, the teenage daughter of the poor family from whom he rents his room; Blount, a drifter played by Stacy Keach;  and Dr. Copeland, an African-American physician, played by Percy Rodrigues that struggles relating to his family.

In all three of these relationships, Singer struggles to help each with their personal struggles.  Throughout the film, you see how each person benefits from their knowing Singer because he cares for and understands them, even though he can't speak and can only read lips.  As the film progresses, you understand the loneliness that pervades Singer's life.  He has built these friendships but in the end none of them can grasp what he feels and personally needs.

I'm not going to pull any punches here...I think this is an excellent film both in the acting of Alan Arkin as how well it relates to the social issues that were pervasive in the South during the time of its filming and release.  However, it isn't a movie you walk away from feeling uplifted.  It is a drama and while I have recommend it to many, I provide the caveat that I consider this a "one viewing a year" movie.  If you find this on Netflix or can catch it on Turner Classic Movies, it is well worth watching.