Duvall is not believable.

The OP clearly knows NOTHING about white Americans with African ancestry...nothing at all.

The OP is wrong about what a half white/half black person “should” look like. All humans are a combination of genetic traits inherited from our parents. There are no rules regarding how our parents' genes will combine and how we will appear as a result.

The photograph that Aunt T. gives to Earl show his biological mother to be a light-skinned woman. Like most African-Americans whose ancestry goes back to slavery, there is a good chance that she is of mixed race herself. It is therefore highly possible for her to bear a child to a white father that physically appeared white.

More importantly, one of the things that one must do to enjoy a piece of drama, is to suspend your disbelief. In every play or motion picture, we are asked to accept actors playing people other than themselves, pretending to be husbands, wives, sons, daughters, brothers, sisters, etc. to people who are, in reality, total strangers. If you say that Robert Duvall doesn't look like he could be half black, you must also say that Michael Beach doesn't look enough like James Earl Jones to be playing his son, or that either of them looked like Irma P. Hall.

This was a wonderful story about how two men eventually came together to try and heal a family's wounds. Accept the actors for who the author and director intended them to be, and enjoy.

if you know anything about genetics and phenotypes, you'll know that it's possible for people who look like duvall to be half black. We don't know if his mother is full black or 3/4 black ro 1/2 black, all the movie says is that his mom is black.
NO ACTUALLY IF YOU LOOK AT THE SCENE WHERE AUNT T IS TALKING ABOUT THE CHILDBIRTH OF DUVALL, YOU SEE WHAT HIS MOM LOOKED LIKE, SHE LOOKS HALF BLACK HALF ASIAN, LOOK AT HER FEATURES, LOOK AT HER HAIR, BUT REGARDLESS IF HIS MOM WAS HALF BLACK OR NOT, SHE COULD HAVE STILL HAD A CHILD THAT LOOKED LIKE DUVALL.

people see me as just black even though im 1/2 black and have a kid that pretty more less look like robin and paula thicke's son so when people ask how did i have such a white looking baby, well hello, i am only 1/2 black not 3/4 etc so if my husband is white, the baby is 3/4 white so duh most likely he may look more like him.

Jeremy, there's many people who are half black and you wouldn't even know it.

It's more possible than you know. It all depends on the genes. Case in point: black actress Victoria Rowell's biological white daughter: See for yourself her photo:

http://forum.blackhairmedia.com/drucilla-aka-victoria-biological-white-daughter_topic257727.html

Genetic is so crazy!
I know Victoria is half white half black and that the father of this child is white. But compared to Nahla Aubry (Halle's daughter), the result is "interesting".

"Meanwhile, in 1989, Rowell married Tom Fahey, an airline pilot. Shortly before the birth of their daughter, Maya, Rowell and Fahey divorced. Their blonde, blue-eyed daughter--Fahey is white--has caused many an uncomfortable moment when strangers insist she cannot be Rowell's daughter. The nurse in the hospital infuriated Rowell by not giving her the baby until she had checked and rechecked the wrist band identification. Being the daughter of a mixed couple herself, Rowell is careful to teach Maya about all of her heritage. When asked her color, Maya responds, "black and white."

I disagree, Duvall WAS believable as the step brother. This was an excellent film highlighting racial tensions in families.
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Are there any Independent Film Innovators like Oscar Micheaux anymore????