Sunshine State (2002)
Written and Directed by John Sayles
A tidal wave of change is coming to Delrona Beach, Florida. Out-of-state developers have descended upon the sleepy coastal community with the promise of big bucks and bigger changes. Torn between honoring family obligations and the lure of quick cash, the locals greet the outsiders with mixed reception. Marly Temple (Edie Falco, The Sopranos, Nurse Jackie) is eager to sell the family business and start her life over. As caretaker to her father’s motel and restaurant, she’s grown resentful of missed opportunities, but finds a glimmer of hope in a tentative romance with a visiting landscape architect (Oscar winner Timothy Hutton). Desiree Perry (Oscar nominee Angela Bassett) left town years ago to escape scandal and make a name for herself as an actress. Reluctantly returning home, she finds her strong-willed mother unwilling to let go of the past. A movie about the importance of history and place, this is among the films that earned Sayles the Duke LEAF Award, given to an artist whose work celebrates the Environment.
