A/way is one of those breezy dramas that doesn’t really seem to mean all that much until the end. Holding a gut punch of emotion until the final moments writer director Derek Shane Garcia’s deceptively passive film follows Anna (Rosie McDonald) during a journalism assignment after the loss of her mother. At an existential crossroads Anna must forge through a job that she has no interest in while processing grief. Agreed, this is film student fodder. But Garcia along with co-writers Rosie McDonald and James Moccia do something miraculous, bringing resonance to what could have been another trite soul-search picture.
Anna is a serious journalist fresh out of school on assignment in Martinique for a bland New York travelogue. Hoping to inject a fresh take on the usual travel article, Anna pitches the idea of profiling the locals instead. She is quickly shot down and told just to stick to the assignment. How could anyone be so unhappy in paradise? To begin with Anna’s mother (Eva Dorrepaal) has just passed. What’s more, both career and love life are stagnant.
We jump back to New York City, days before Anna’s departure to the islands. The people in Anna’s immediate circle attempt to console. Family friend Tori (Mckenzie Salvatierra-Custin) uses the well-worn clichés like “Your mom was a sister to me,” and “Call me if you need anything.” On the other hand Anna’s bestie Irene (Irene Bremis) offers a joint and a ride on the swings in the park. Anna’s love life isn’t going any better. After a hilarious parade of crumby dates Anna meets Geoff (Aaron Lee Wright) and that situationship takes its own sordid path.
In Martinique Anna finds human connection with the locals while trudging through her bland journalism assignment. We meet an artist, a dancer, a surfer, all of whom are engaging in the face of Anna’s guarded presence.
The film disparately cuts from one thread to another, offering a pastiche of moments that the audience must connect, organize, and then process. It’s a technique that is often used to add a layer of interest to mask something lacking in the overall story. That’s not entirely the case with A/way. Garcia is winding up for the pitch. Granted it takes some time to get there, and the beauty shots of Martinique feel gratuitous, but there are worse things to look at.
McDonald‘s Anna is a solid anchor for the story. She has a fun, playful presence that eventually disarms. Similarly, Garcia’s observant, fly-0n-the-wall depiction of the story is like a rich bowl of broth whose nuances form while resting on the palette. There are some bits of dialogue that could have used some work, and a final conflict between Anna and her love interest feels forced, but again, it’s nothing detrimental.
A/way was a gentle, effective drama about growth from loss and the paths we forge during survival. Certainly worth the trip.
A/Way – 7 out of 10
Directed by: Derek Shane Garcia
Written by: Derek Shane Garcia, Rosie McDonald, James Moccia
