Across the Tracks

Tara and Ella Hines are sisters living very different lives. Tara is a big city architect with a fighting spirit that has brought her great success. Ella, a few years younger, never left the hometown of their youth and has been the primary caretaker of the family. Estranged for 40 years, they are brought together finally with the death of their mother. Through a series of flashbacks, their childhood in rural 1960s Georgia unfolds. The "Coloreds only" bathroom and side entrance to shops. The train tracks that separated the town by skin color. We see them navigate this world full of inferiority and bullying, ultimately leading to Ella's decision to become white. As the sisters lay their mother to rest, the past rises up to meet them and we're finally shown the moment that tore their family apart.

Directed by Michael Cooke, Across the Tracks leans on a strong ensemble — Don Battee, Nicky Buggs, Berkeley Clayborne — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.

The film landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about screen titles of 2015.