Tight plot, understandable characters

Rating: 9/10 (15 August 2006)

I thought this was an excellent movie. It's plot was strung together nicely and the characters were complex. Many complain that the movie doesn't address racism, it just show it... so? I don't think the problem of racism could be solved in a movie made for the purpose movies are made for - entertainment (after all it hasn't been solved thus far). Some also complained that we never get real motivation for the characters (why are they racist?). Isn't this a lot like life? People who are racist have an explanation that they see as justifiable, but is it? I think this may be the whole point.
As a daughter, wife, mother I was able to relate to these character sketches (perhaps why we don't learn a ton about them, so that they are each person could identify and relate to them in some way), I felt so much while watching this...
I've also read on here that people don't like the happy endings... I, personally, don't remember happy endings. For some people things are better, for some worse - I suppose it is all a matter of perspective.