Away from Here

Politically, it's definitely controversial. That's perhaps the film's strongest point: that it'll get you thinking and talking about some important issues. It's not a bad little film at all.

It is a "little" film. It has some of the same themes as a true classic like American Beauty. It's no classic, though. On the other hand, it's not easily forgettable, like most little films are.

To avoid spoiling the movie, I'll try to create a good analogy. Imagine a father who gets "raped" in divorce court, losing custody of his children, even though he's a much better parent than his ex is. What if this father then kidnaps his kids, spirits them away to another state, and his kids get their pictures on "have you seen me?" milk cartons.

Then imagine that the father gets arrested and charged with kidnapping. Yet the movie goes out of its way to paint him as the good guy, the innocent victim. That kind of movie would certainly anger a lot of people, wouldn't it? Hillary supporters would sure hate it.

This movie isn't about divorce and custody rights. Instead, it's about an even more controversial theme, to the point where it's likely to anger Trump supporters as well. (The movie doesn't make conservative Christians look good at all.)

So consider yourself warned. I like controversial movies like this, especially those which are a little ahead of their time.

All the time I was watching this film, the acclaimed 2012 "The Hunt" came to mind. Same theme, same feeling: that the victim is actually the accused. What is different is that there the character was perfectly honest and open about the whole happening, while here he must keep it a secret, be it through his own will or through the force of the very first events the movie presents.

I came across this title because I like Alicia Witt, and was very surprised to discover Nick Stahl whom I had previously seen, I think, only in Terminator 3. He is an incredibly talented actor, very believable in this role; despite his rather reserved character here, one of the most powerful scenes in the movie is when he confronts Ray Wise's character in which he probably recognizes his wrongdoer. Albeit the film is (also) about forgiveness.

Without giving anything away, I would just like to mention that you will find the explanation of the title in the end of the film, which I recommend to any movie lover as a strong piece of courage and soul beauty.

We are shown via a sign that the denomination of Jessica's father's church is Church of Christ. Yet in the dinner scene where Jessica, her parents, and James hold hands and the dad (pastor) says grace, it is the standard, word-for-word grace used by Roman Catholics, who don't deviate from it or tack things on at the end. This prayer in this setting would never, ever happen, and was a major distraction for me. A conservative Christian pastor would have said a prayer he made up on the spot, ALWAYS finishing up with "in Jesus' name, Amen" or "in Jesus' name we pray, Amen." This is a frequent error in movies and TV, and is really off-putting to me (an educated atheist) because it shouts 'poor research!' My other reality check is regarding Lily's lifestyle. She lives in a fairly nice townhouse, maintains a car, hangs at bar where she pays for alcohol, AND indicates she foots the bill for another Big Ticket Item in her personal life - all on diner tips? And we were shown Lily grumbling when she made $30 in tips over the course of an entire shift. Those kind of wages would leave you homeless. Also inaccurate: any wait staff who would spend their precious break time STANDING! Between the ages of 15-22, I had 9 waitressing jobs and literally never witnessed it. Again, lazy research. Still: aside from these nitpicky items, the actors are perfectly cast and I definitely enjoyed and would recommend "Away from Here."

The idea and the intend is good; the process of the film is not so convincing. The storyline is consistent but you have the feeling the director was trying too hard. Good as wake-up call, but a bit weak as movie. At least the main character is strong, by the way.

The film's message is very good on the other hand: the devilish mechanism of the society and the law is painted good, the bigot position of the preacher should get everyone thinking. And the case is chosen well: not everything is black and white, there is much grey between. A society getting adult should come to accept that and grow there.