Sister Island (1996)

I bought this movie on a lark. Having family on the Gulf coast who were recently devastated by Katrina, I was curious to see what was out there that could help me put my family's losses in perspective. So I Googled, and came up with this fascinating apparently undiscovered drama. Bought it on e-bay VHS. Cries of Silence is based around the real drama of Hurricane Camille, which like Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast (only in the late 1960s.) Unlike Katrina though, Camille is seemingly long forgotten, except to older gulf coast residents who periodically might mention hurricane parties gone bad, in much the same way a WWII veteran might sadly recall Pearl Harbor.This movie was classically structured- good versus evil, the good being the central characters, the bad being the storm itself, along with depressions both tropical and psychological (needles to mention the antagonist, an incestuous, unredeemed specter). With its unique narratives and fascinating characters, I found Cries a bit of a catharsis. Cries of Silence was very moving to say the least. The Director, Avery Crounse, has a gift for mixing fact and fiction seamlessly. The images one is left with are much like the dream you just woke up from, wanting to remember but sadly knowing you will forget. Most simply, Cries of Silence is a beautiful film.