The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter (film)

The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter is a 1968 American drama film directed by Robert Ellis Miller. It is an adaptation of the 1940 novel of the same name by Carson McCullers. The film stars Alan Arkin, Sondra Locke, Laurinda Barrett, Stacey Keach, and Chuck McCann.

The film tells the story of John Singer, a deaf-mute man who moves to a small town in the American South and becomes a confidante to a diverse group of lonely individuals. These individuals include Mick Kelly, a young girl struggling with adolescence and her aspirations in music; Jake Blount, a radical alcoholic; Biff Brannon, the widowed owner of a local diner; and Dr. Copeland, a black physician struggling against racial prejudice. Singer, though unable to verbally communicate, becomes a silent listener and a figure of solace for them all, while harboring his own deep loneliness and longing for his institutionalized deaf-mute friend, Antonapoulos.

The film explores themes of loneliness, isolation, prejudice, communication, and the human need for connection. It received generally positive reviews, with particular praise for Alan Arkin's performance as Singer, for which he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor. Sondra Locke was also nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Mick Kelly.