This sentimental drama, based on the Carson McCullers novel, is a classic contemporary coming-of-age movie about alienation and love. Alan Arkin stars as a kind, but lonely deaf-mute who befriends a lonely teenage girl in his boarding house. Set in the deep South, the film depicts a wistful small-town life with an undercurrent of turmoil and intolerance. It features a standout performance by Arkin and the debut of Sondra Locke as two fundamentally lonely people who find solace in themselves as they reach out to each other.