Sounder (NR, 2003)

In this 2003 version of a film based on William H. Armstrong's Newberry-award winning book, SOUNDER tells the story of a young boy (Daniel Lee Robertson III) who sets off on a quest to find his sharecropper father (Carl Lumbly), put in jail for stealing a ham to feed his hungry family. Set during the Depression era, the boy's family is bound together through hard times with faith and love. A stray hunting dog, Sounder, becomes an emblem of the belief and affection that helps the boy endure racism and pursue a rare chance at education.

In the hands of director Kevin Hooks, who played the boy in the 1972 film version, Armstrong's coming-of-age tale is treated with great care. Robertson captures the growing confidence of the boy as he pursues his difficult task, and the movie also features Paul Winfield, who played the father in the first film, as the boy's teacher. Suzzanne Douglas as the mother radiates faith, hope, and a backbone of steel in each scene.

The movie does a good job capturing the day-to-day worries of blacks in the South during the 1930s, and the inhumanity of the southern prison labor system. It also underscores the life-changing value of education, particularly for the disenfranchised. The suspense and pain caused by the father's imprisonment, as well as a protracted disappearance by the dog, would likely make this too intense for viewers younger than 12.

Studio: Walt Disney Pictures
Director: Kevin Hooks
Cast: Daniel Lee Robertson III, Paul Winfield, Suzzanne Douglas
Genre: Family and Kids
Run time: 87 minutes
Theatrical release: January 19, 2003
DVD release: June 24, 2003
MPAA Rating: NR
MPAA explanation: Not Rated