The Water Is Wide

John Kent Harrison, who directed The Water is Wide, based on the novel written by Pat Conroy, does a wonderful job recreating Conroy's assignment at Beaumont County South Carolina's school (teaching the all-black kids of the pauper fishery community on Yamacraw Island).

Yamacraw Island (now Daufuskie Island, an upscale resort with practically no original inhabitants) is a poor, nearly all African-American coastal region with a two-room schoolhouse. The island's whites manage the store, the library (only opened if someone needs a book), the post office, and a ferry that connects residents to the mainland.

When the school is combined with the county school district, the superintendent (Frank Langella) tires to deliver a well-intended "better education" for the island's children. But, he soon takes note of Conroy's take on the ineffectiveness of a rigid "chain of command" style of management.

Conroy's "principal," (played by the wonderful Alfre Woodard), is a tough love proponent having little else to offer. Students in grades 5-8 can't read, write, or even cite which nation they live in. Worse, they don't know what the ocean (which surrounds them) is called. They have no grasp of history or simple arithmetic.

I won't deliver any more details other than to note Jeff Hephner's flawless, heartfelt, terrific performance where he's touching, moving, very funny, and inspirational. When he decides to move on he says, "I don't know who changed more, me or them" which was a perfect ending.