Sophie and the Rising Sun

Maggie Greenwald, whose work I've admired since "The Kill-Off", does a fine job in capturing another era, that of the dawn of World War II in the American South, in its sad tale of love thwarted by prejudice, with great sympathy generated for the underdog. Also sad is the current increase in bigotry in America, putting us on the precipice of a return to such awful times, if powerful forces on the extreme right, get their way.

Powerful performances by Julianne Nicholson, Margo Martindale and Lorraine Toussaint propel the compelling narrative, which while not being preachy does follow time-honored and well-meaning, predictable story arcs.

This was a sweet love story, although it left me longing for more background, clarification and character development. The flashbacks were not enough. Why does Sophie live alone? What happened to her parents? How old was she? Answers to these questions would have made her character much more interesting. Would have loved to know more about Mr. Ota and his family background as well, besides the fact that they grew apples! I think this story could have been so much richer had the screenwriter delved deeper into these characters' lives. The movie was touching and interesting and the chemistry between Ota and Sophie was good. But the whole film seemed too superficial. It did touch accurately on the attitude of Americans toward the Japanese Americans during WW2. However, I think in typical Hollywood fashion, it put people of faith in an unfair and negative light. Not all southern churchgoers were cruel toward minorities, but it did happen. I think my favorite character was the maid. She had a confident pride, but also could feel empathy toward Mr. Ota as a black woman in the south. She knew what it was like to be outcast for her skin color. It was such a poignant moment in the film when is the one to wash off the words "dirty Jap" from the wall. She knew his pain.

This movie was a lovely story but I feel it could have been so much more had we really known the characters and what their backstories were.

This movie was a winner for me. I enjoy true to life stories. I knew it was a winner within the first 10 minutes. Gripping, tantalizing and oh.... so romantic. The characters kept my attention. The emotion they emit is so sweet. The story is interesting and held my attention. I wanted more and did not want to stop watching it. So happy to share. I don't find many movies that are 10 stars for me and hope you enjoy it also. This is for true romantics.

Great story and acting. Time accurate. A real enjoyable film.

To explain my title, Sophie and the rising sun has everything except shooting, explosions, and car chases. It is a devastating picture of racism. It is a love story beyond compare. It is wonderfully filmed. Nicholson as Sophie is luminous. Martindale as Ann is faultless. Toussaint as Salome is simply amazing. The Japanese gentleman is outstanding. See this movie if you can. It's a solid ten for a viewer who loves good drama, who is maybe tired of cheap thrills. I watched it for free on Prime, and I'll watch it again tomorrow.