It has generally been thought of as a minor Sayles work, but I think it demonstrates his talent to the utmost. No other filmmaker I know of is so skillful at creating a believable community, one that feels like a real place, while at the same time illuminating the sense of community throughout the entire United States. Sunshine State focuses on a Floridian community, of course, on a small island off the coast. A lot has gone on here during the last half-century. The island is populated mostly by blacks and whites, most of whom remember the old days of racial tension well. The two races still don't interact much, but they now live side by side in peace. Mostly they hold on to their values as a small community, where individuals owned the businesses and land. At least they try to hold on to those values. Corporations are threatening to turn their paradise, which is actually called Paradise Island, into strip malls and golf courses. Some choose to protest what others see as progress, others have given up. The film has two main characters, a black woman and a white woman, who never meet during the film and, though they know the same people, might never have met, they share similar life experiences. Edie Falco plays Marly Temple. She runs a local motel/restaurant that stands in a location that developers desperately want. Angela Bassett plays a woman who has just returned to Paradise Island after a long absence. Yes, the film is far from perfect. Some of the supporting characters, of which there is an enormous amount, end up as loose threads. And the climax is sort of a weak deus ex machina. But, generally, Sayles creates an utterly complex work that explores its themes in a manner that compels, teaches, and deeply satisfies. It isn't his best film, but it's one of his best. It is perhaps his most ambitious film and it certainly didn't deserve to be passed over like it was. 9/10.
Review of Sunshine State
