SOLDIERS OF CHANGE (A.K.A  THE PAINTING) is a powerful and ultimately touching story of interracial love set during the Civil Rights movement of the 1960’s.   Randy Barrington IV (Heath Freeman) the fourth descendant of a rich and powerful family has a father who, although a kind man, is stubborn and old-fashioned and expects his son to go to West Point like the rest of his family has for 200 years.

We first meet Randy when he is in Vietnam.  He went to West Point, but when an upperclassman ridiculed his black friend, he punched him out and was expelled for the offense.  In a story told in flashbacks, Randy thinks back to his childhood, just after his mother died, and his deep affection for the butler Thomas, played by Clifton Davis.

It started one day when Randy’s father, who promised to watch his 13 year old’s baseball game, instead has to go away on business and asks Thomas to take care of the boy while he’s gone.  Thomas says he had planned to spend a few days with his sister at a church festival.  Randy’s father asks, “Can’t Randy go along?”  “To my church, a black church?” say Thomas.  An agreement is made and while going to Thomas’s church, Randy meets the love of his life, the 13 year old Halle who will grow up to be Stacey Dash.  Their obvious attraction for each other makes everyone nervous.  The thirteen year old Halle is played by Shari Dyon Perry and is exactly what you’d think Stacey Dash would look like at thirteen, including the light gray eyes. Thomas and Marcus, Halle’s older brother try to keep them apart, but through the years to come, they see each other often and Randy finally asks Halle to marry him.   But it’s 1965 and Randy’s father tells him if he marries a black woman he’ll be disinherited.  To his credit Randy decides to marry Halle anyway and shortly afterward he gets his draft notice, Halle becomes pregnant and Randy goes to Vietnam.

SOLDIERS OF CHANGE is a director’s film.  Although directors have different styles, his main job is to give his actors the thoughts and emotions he wants them to project in their characters. A great director succeeds totally.  A great actor becomes his character.  This film is very well directed by Joshua Rose.  Cliffton Davis who plays Thomas the butler is low key and given to wise, philosophical, uplifting words on life, love and humanity.  Davis does this beautifully.  Randy’s father is kind, big hearted, but inflexible on his ideas.  Charles Shaughnessy is perfect in the part, and manages a dignified reserve while hiding his British accent.  For me, Davis and Shaughnessy are the real standouts in the cast.  Stacey Dash and Heath Freeman become the two young lovers and their onscreen chemistry is quite good.  Even the smaller parts are well played: Bumper Robinson as Halle’s brother Marcus is perfectly suited as the hot headed young black man who has a sudden awareness and anger at his race’s treatment before the 1960’s.  Ben Vareen as Whistlin’ Willie Weston is excellent as the eccentric uncle who’s a popular blues singer.  Another standout performance is Josh Ackerman, a graduate of the New Mickey Mouse Club, who plays Allen Kuperburg, Randy’s ill-fated Jewish friend.  His part is small but quite touching in its fresh faced innocence.

I can’t say much more about this rest of the film without giving away too much of the plot.  This along with MR. AND MRS. LOVING and FOREIGN STUDENT are among my half dozen favorite IR romantic movies.  I suppose it’s because the first half of the movie mirrors my own love affair in grad school, and watching it always makes me sad at the beginning and hopeful about the future by the time the second half ends.  Let it be said that the last few scenes are among the most touching I’ve ever seen in a movie.