Sunshine State

Another utterly captivating John Sayles ensemble piece with an incredible sense of place and personality, Sunshine State explores the winds of change and uncertainty blowing mightily over a humble island township off the Florida panhandle that has been targeted for resort development. Sayles transports the viewer into the soul of the community through individual denizens such as a diner-and-motel owner-operator (Edie Falco) who feels strangled by the tentacles that tether her to the island, and a refugee from the town's once-thriving, now-fading black community (Angela Bassett) who has returned for the first time since running away as a teenager. While these two women are Sayles' compass characters, they are joined by many colorful workaday folks, such as the developers' landscape architect (Timothy Hutton) who is haunted by not being able to fully justify what he does for a living, creating "nature on a leash" and golf courses where marshes once stood. While the film suffers from a certain level of predictability and the stories arc too gradually (read: slowly), Sunshine State is engrossingly true to life, driven by 3-D personalities and a very human sense of humor. Recommended. [Note: DVD extras include audio commentary by writer-director-editor John Sayles, and trailers. Bottom line: a skimpy extras package for a solid film.] (R. Blackwelder)