Southern Gothic at its Finest

Rating: 10/10 (21 September 2014)

Reading this book as a child, I was immediately drawn to it for its simple yet complex themes. It wasn't part of our school curriculum; growing up in the South, it's easily understood why. This film holds an equal candle to the novel, something most movies fail in accomplishing. I grew up in a town similar to Maycomb (even though Maycomb itself is fictitious), as did my ancestors before me. Quirky characters, Southern colloquiums, culture -- it's all here. And well represented. The screenplay honorably serves Miss Lee's narrative. The musical score is achingly beautiful. Echoes of that time and place ring true in this film, which remains all these many years later, as haunting and evocative a story ever told.