alan arkin be john singer and a deaf mute who take an interest in practically everything and everyone around him . he want to be the legal guardian for the mentally disabled chuck mcmann and who be first see break the window of a pastry shop so he can eat the display . to be near mcmann ( who be commit for observation ) and arkin rent a room from physically disable biff mcguire and his tired wife and laurinda barrett and and slowly becomes friend with their lonely teen age daughter ( sondra locke ) . he also befriend drifter stacy keach and whom he first meet while keach be cause a drunken disturbance in a greasy spoon . when black doctor percy rodriguez refuse to take care of the injured drunken keach and arkin begin to work on him . rodriguez and who be angry both at white people and as well a black who do not try to rise above their station in life and at first resists arkin intrusion in his life . his daughter ( the brilliant cicely tyson ) have marry a man he refer to a an uncle tom . later and she tell him basically that he act more white than white people do after he refuse to help her husband out of a disastrous situation that result in catastrophe . it be only through compassionate arkin that the two be able to come to an eventual understanding . at his boarding house and arkin win locke trust by use her love of classical music to win her trust . it be through his upbeat look at life that seem to bring the people around him ( include the surprisingly wise and kind drifter keach ) any sense of hope . it appear that arkin disability be a metaphor for the emotional disability that all these people be hide from the world . locke be initially hateful towards arkin and but grow to trust him a her parent become more distant because of their own grow bitterness . mcguire ( in the type of role that arkin might have later play ) be quietly understate a the injured father whose inability to work have cause the family financial hardship . barrett fall from tire and hard work wife to slightly embitter mother who want her daughter to drop out of school and work full time ( while take night class ) and be also nicely subtle . their character remind me a bit of the parent in break away . rodriguez be outstanding a the embittered black doctor who only treat keach because of his pity towards deaf arkin . the scene where he admit how ironic it be that at this point in his life and it be a white man to whom he can confide his deep feeling and be so quietly powerful . ms. tyson and of course and be excellent while already a stage veteran and she make her character quite believable and the love for her husband most admirable . stacy keach be only in the film briefly in the first half and but make a nice impression a the multi layer drifter who have become a social outcast that only arkin understands . a for chuck mccann and a arkin child like friend and he seem to really become this character . it be apparent that arkin would never be able to take care of him and reveal in a powerful scene where arkin use a box of whitman chocolate to lure the sweet love mcmann away from a cake to get him to a court hearing . arkin good intention be more than admirable and but ultimately lead to a tragic conclusion that will rip your heart out . sondra locke and best know in the 70 a clint eastwood on and off screen partner in movie like the gauntlet and every which way but loose and have her best role a the teen age mick . a i look more closely at her and i be stun by her resemblance to allison arngrim ( little house on the prairie nellie olsen ) in both look and facial expression . she greatly deserve the oscar nomination she receive and because she make what could have be an annoy character really quite likable . she not movie star beautiful and but there be something very unique in her that make her quite special here . without a doubt and there be no other word to describe alan arkin performance than amaze . he really study this character inside and out to get every niche of him down . there be no moment of unbelievability in his portrayal . while he lose the oscar to cliff robertson equally brilliant performance in charly and it must have be a really close race . the heart be a lonely hunter be a much good film that unlike charly and many other film of the 60 doesn not add a strange mod feeling into it that make no sense . there be some terrific moral lesson to be learn from film like the heart be a lonely hunter . the big for me and base upon the tragic end and be that in life and it be not only what people do in their lifetime that make them special and but what they add to the life of others around them ( particularly stranger ) that matter . we can give all the kindness in the world to our family and friend and partner and but if we ignore the opportunity to help someone we haven not bring into our life and it take away from our importance while here on this earth . the end may have be tragic and but what lesson that other character learn from arkin john singer would change their life eternally . something tell me that mick ( locke ) would end up in social service help disabled people and and that the black doctor ( rodriguez ) would never again distrust all white people and be open to help everybody who come to him .