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Sounder

Sounder

Drama · 1972

The oldest son of a loving and strong family of black sharecroppers comes of age in the Depression-era South after his father is imprisoned for stealing food.

Movie details

Sounder

1972 Drama 1h 45m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

7.5 / 10

Community rating

The oldest son of a loving and strong family of black sharecroppers comes of age in the Depression-era South after his father is imprisoned for stealing food.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over Sounder?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn

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East of Eden

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The Grapes of Wrath

The Grapes of Wrath

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Tom Joad returns to his home after a jail sentence to find his family kicked out of their farm due to foreclosure. He catches up with them on his Uncle’s farm, and joins them the next day as they head for California and a new life... Hopefully.

Places in the Heart

Places in the Heart

Drama · 1984

In 1935 rural Texas, recently widowed Edna Spaulding struggles to survive with two small children, a farm to run, and very little money in the bank - not to mention a deadly tornado and the unwelcome presence of the Ku Klux Klan. Edna is aided by her beautician sister, Margaret; a blind boarder, Mr. Will; and a would-be thief, Moze, who decides to teach Edna how to plant and harvest cotton.

The Glass Castle

The Glass Castle

Drama · 2017

A young girl is raised in a dysfunctional family constantly on the run from the FBI. Living in poverty, she comes of age guided by her drunkard, ingenious father who distracts her with magical stories to keep her mind off the family's dire state, and her selfish, nonconformist mother who has no intention of raising a family, along with her younger brother and sister, and her other older sister. Together, they fend for each other as they mature in an unorthodox journey that is their family life.

A Home of Our Own

A Home of Our Own

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The Color Purple

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The Island on Bird Street

The Island on Bird Street

Drama · 1997

Alex is an 11-year old boy who, during WWII, hides in the Jewish ghetto from Nazis after all his relatives have been sent to the concentration camp. The movie portrays the ghetto through his eyes.

Where it lives

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Martin Ritt

Written by

Lonne Elder III

Cicely Tyson

Cicely Tyson

Rebecca Morgan

Paul Winfield

Paul Winfield

Nathan Lee Morgan

Kevin Hooks

Kevin Hooks

David Lee Morgan

Taj Mahal

Taj Mahal

Ike

Janet MacLachlan

Janet MacLachlan

Camille Johnson

Carmen Mathews

Carmen Mathews

Mrs. Boatwright

James Best

James Best

Sheriff Charlie Young

Court is in session

Put Sounder on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Prestige Tourist

“Ambition earns the room.”

The film reaches for consequence and scale, accepting the risk of seriousness instead of shrinking from it.

The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist

“Importance has entered the chat.”

The production keeps announcing its significance, as though awards-season posture were proof of insight.