Day 206--The Way We Get By

On July 17th, I went to the Independent Film Center in NYC to see a special screening of the documentary The Way We Get By. The documentary discusses a special group of people who are known as "troop greeters" at Bangor, Maine airport. The airport at Bangor serves as the first arrival or final departure for troops arriving from, or departing to, Afghanistan or Iraq. This cadre of volunteers greets all incoming and outgoing flights and welcome the troops. The documentary showcases three of these volunteers and highlights their special needs and problems.

While I applaud the film for its treatment of these special people but the film has problems in deciding what it wants to be: a film about aging in America (or at least, in rural Maine), a film about the troops, or a political film about the ongoing wars. Unfortunately, because the film cannot decide on a topic, you don't get a satisfactory ending to any of the themes.

Just because you are making a documentary doesn't mean that good film making/storytelling isn't necessary. For me, a documentary simply means that the film is about something real as opposed to a fictional account of something that is real.

In this film, you get the introduction and a development but the end just fizzles leaving you with a feeling of "what happens next?" Watching this film would be similar to ordering a pre fixe meal and getting the appetizer and main meal but getting the check rather than the dessert.

I rate this film two watches