Year by the Sea

A fine story of a middle age experimental year of rediscovery. The husband's character as a curmudgeon is a bit on-the-nose and stereotypical. Would have been nice to see a bit more empathy for the husband in the situation, as he had little choice in the matter for job relocation. The attempt to establish multiple characters in the wife's new environment fell a bit short as well. Some solid scenes that helped to paint the picture of the complexities of a small harbor town while some attempts at widening the scope fell short. (A local bully seemed a bit unnecessary to the overall plot) The overuse of the color blue by the creatives is a bit annoying. Actually, very annoying.

YEAR BY THE SEA (2016) is a pretty and pretty empty account of a "middle-aged" woman (and writer) who leaves her husband to rent a rustic cottage on Cape Cod to find herself. Good enough premise, but the Cape Cod she finds with its deserted towns, empty beaches, and retro cottage are all unrealistic, and that throws off the story. This one has everything but Patti Page singing "Old Cape Cod." Actually that might have worked better, to place the story in the 1950s. But I guess women didn't go "find themselves" in the 50s. The other old saw is that the locals immediately take Joan (Karen Allen) into their inner circle (ain't likely) so that she becomes involved in everyone's lives from the getgo. Anyway, she rents a cottage on a small island just off shore so that she has to row back and forth in a small dinghy.

While her husband back in the USA has been transferred to Wichita, she is befriended by a local free spirit named Joan (Celia Imrie) whose husband is dying in a hospice. Since they are both named Joan, they become instant best friends. You can tell Joan is a free spirit because she dances on one of those empty beaches and has a chuck wagon triangle hanging outside her front door rather than a doorbell. There's also the young woman who runs the little general store. She is a battered woman just waiting for someone to rescue her. Then there's the very friendly fisherman (Yannick Bisson) who takes an instant shine to Joan One (rather than Joan Two).

When the crabby husband (Michael Cristofer) comes to visit, all he does is complain about the rustic-ness of the place. When her friend/agent (S. Epatha Merkerson) comes to visit, all she does is complain that Joan One is not writing). Eventually the cliches overwhelm the story. To its credit, no one collects sea glass, but they do raid someone's house for firewood.

Much is made of the "off season," but it looks exactly like the "in season" part of the film. Mostly filmed in Wellfleet, the idyllic landscape in late summer/early fall would be jammed with tourists, but all we see are empty streets and no tourists ... not even one. Eventually both Joans have breakthroughs and start writing again (Joan Two is also a writer), and the film ends with the Joans scribbling and typing like mad. This makes Merkerson very happy since she seems to have acquired Joan Two as a client.

The only time we see any local inhabitants (as in extras) is when they have some sort of bizarre "race to the sea" on New Years Day. Despite its being January, they wear funny costumes and the race seems to be limited to women. I don't remember my Aunt Shirley (who still lives on the Cape) ever racing to the sea in costume our out of costume. Later, when the fisherman teaches Joan One how to clam, it's so hot he has to take off his shirt. That climate change thing must be going crazy on the Cape. I spent several summers in Falmouth when I was a kid. Even around 1960, this Cape Cod did not exist but the remnants of "old Cape Cod" were there and I remember them well.

Anyway, it was a nice try. Story is from a book by Joan Anderson (Joan Three) and directed by Alexander Janko (who seems to be primarily a musician and who graduated Princeton in 1991). To say this sea story has been watered down would be a cheap shot.

I reluctantly attended a viewing of this film since I was not interested in another "escape to find myself" woman's story. I was blown away by how the film touched me -- so much more so than the books which I found irrelevant to my life. Although this movie is based on a woman's story, what impressed me the most was the protagonist's husband and his story. His courage, his honesty and his humor had me in tears. The message that relationships of all sorts can flourish over time, even after hurtful challenges is a good one for all audience members, especially for American's now. Forgiveness brings growth. Even if the story-line doesn't grab you, the acting is superb... there are some stunning moments even without words that evoke so much response from the audience because of the acting. The music and cinematography will heal hearts. Turn off your devices, go see "A Year by the Sea" and be swept away by real emotion.

At the screening I attended, you could hear a pin drop. There were laughs and tears. People were talking about it long after it was over. Year by the Sea speaks to men and women alike about mid- life, crossroads, commitment, and self-development. "It's never too late to reclaim your life" is the film's tag-line (on the posters), and that message stays with you. For those familiar with Joan's successful books and retreats, I think you will feel like coming home. Shot entirely on Cape Cod with a phenomenal cast, it is a feast for the eyes as well as the mind. Expect to walk away from Year by the Sea thinking about your life and choices in a new, possibly transformational way. My friends wanted to go back and see it again right away. There is deep, abiding truth in this little independent film. Highly recommend.

Uses every cliché in the books.. There were audible groans at the screening I attended at a film festival. Talk on the way out was "awful" and "disappointing". The acting was good. The scenery was wonderful. The plot was lacking. The time line didn't really fit the narrative. Only one of the five people who were with me enjoyed the movie. The casting was very good. At least the producer chose the right actors for the roles. I was impressed by the scenery. It is really a very beautiful part of the world. It is very disappointing when you go to a movie with such a splendid cast and leave wishing that there was more to the story line and plot.