John Sayles is the very paradigm of the contemporary independent
filmmaker. By raising much of the funding for his films himself, Sayles
functions more independently than most directors, and he has used his
freedom to write and produce films with a distinctive personal style and
often clearly expressed political positions. From The Return of the
Secaucus Seven to Sunshine State, his films have consistently
expressed progressive political positions on issues including race,
gender, sexuality, class, and disability. In this study, David R.
Shumway examines the defining characteristic of Sayles's cinema: its
realism. Positing the filmmaker as a critical realist, Shumway explores
Sayles's attention to narrative in critically acclaimed and popular
films such as Matewan, Eight Men Out, Passion Fish, and Lone Star.
The study also details the conditions under which Sayles's films have
been produced, distributed, and exhibited, affecting the way in which
these films have been understood and appreciated. In the process,
Shumway presents Sayles as a teacher who tells historically accurate
stories that invite audiences to consider the human world they all
inhabit.