The year is 1933. In a small Louisiana town lives an African American family, the Morgans.

The oldest child, David Lee, is helping his father hunt. The family dog, Sounder, is also with them.

The 2 try to catch a raccoon, but are unsuccessful. This leaves the family with no meat for dinner.

However, the next day, they get to enjoy a delicious ham. Little did they know that their father, Nathan Lee, stole it.

Sometime later, Nathan Lee gets arrested for stealing the ham from a nearby smokehouse. As the sheriffs take him, Sounder barks and chases them. But one of the guys shoots him, leaving him wounded.

Not only that, but Sounder also flees. David tries to look for him. But he ends up getting caught up with helping his mom, Rebecca, and younger siblings in the field.

Regardless of what happened to Sounder, Rebecca assures David that he’ll come back – alive.

Due to the laws on inmates of minority race, the Morgans are restricted from visiting Nathan. Rebecca is denied permission. But David is allowed to visit his father.

When he goes to the correction facility his dad is in, he brings a cake that his mother made. Then he interacts with his father, who will be going to a prison camp. That worries David. Even worse, the sheriff won’t tell him which one.

At some point, David visits his kind neighbor, Mrs. Boatwright. She often gives him and his siblings free books.

This time, David tells her what’s happening with his dad. Despite the law, Mrs. Boatwright will try to find out where Nathan is being taken to.

After looking through the files at the correction facility, Mrs. Boatwright tells the Morgans that Nathan is at a prison camp called the Wishbone camp.

To David’s surprise, Sounder returns, but is a bit quieter than before. He also accompanies David to the Wishbone camp.

However, once he gets there, no one will help him. The prisoners ask him to leave so that he doesn’t get them into more trouble. In addition, a guard strikes his hand with a rod, making him bleed.

On his way back home, David stops at an all-black school to wash the blood off his hands. The teacher, Miss Johnson, gives him a bandage and allows him to remain at this school for the rest of the day. Even better, she lets him stay at her house for the next several days.

One day, Miss Johnson has her students discuss brave things they’ve done. A boy talks about saving his sister from the water. But the other kids won’t believe him because he has trouble swimming.

However, David believes him since he had a similar experience with his father. And he still has a lot to get done.

I was surprised with how this movie drew me in a the way through. Scenes switched quickly all the time, although they weren’t rushed. Each part shared enough necessary details.

David was a likable character as well as determined, strong, and a good leader. He even had to watch his siblings when his mom left for a few days.

He had a fair relationship with his family, although he was closer to his father. But his bond with Sounder was nice. I was so glad that Sounder didn’t die. He was a loyal dog who was very protective of his family.

That being said, his name as the title doesn’t fit as much as I thought. Even though he played a big role, Sounder was more of a secondary character. Yet that’s a minor flaw for me.

Although the scenes were brief and quick, the pacing wasn’t that fast. But it also wasn’t that slow. It was just right.

I will also admit how much I admired Miss Johnson and Mrs. Boatwright. Yes, they were minor characters – but they were incredibly kind to David.

I’m not going to spoil the ending. But I do think it could’ve been a bit shorter, like by 5 minutes.

Otherwise, I liked Sounder. It was a good historical drama.

Note that even though it’s rated G, there are some mildly profane words used. I recommend that viewers be at least 8 years old.

Anyway, I give this film 4 out of 5 stars.