The Way We Get By
Back in February, Troy and I interviewed Aron Gaudet, Director of the stunning documentary, “The Way We Get By.” When I redeployed, I came through Bangor, Maine. These people are true patriots and they deserve this recognition.
The movie opens in New York City at the IFC Center on July 17th, 2009 and I wanted to take a moment to remind you a little about it if you didn’t catch the interview.
The SXSW Special Jury Award winning The Way We Get By is a deeply moving film about life and how to live it. Beginning as a seemingly idiosyncratic story about troop greeters – a group of senior citizens who gather daily at a small airport to thank American soldiers departing and returning from Iraq, the film quickly turns into a moving, unsettling and compassionate story about aging, loneliness, war and mortality.
When its three subjects aren’t at the airport, they wrestle with their own problems: failing health, depression, mounting debt. Joan, a grandmother of eight, has a deep connection to the soldiers she meets. The sanguine Jerry keeps his spirits up even as his personal problems mount. And the veteran Bill, who clearly has trouble taking care of himself, finds himself contemplating his own death. Seeking out the telling detail rather than offering sweeping generalizations, the film carefully builds stories of heartbreak and redemption, reminding us how our culture casts our elders, and too often our soldiers, aside. More important, regardless of your politics, The Way We Get By celebrates three unsung heroes who share their love with strangers who need and deserve it.
Here’s a quick trailer for the movie:
The Way We Get By – Trailer from The Way We Get By on Vimeo.
This documentary will bring tears of joy, sadness, and patriotism to your eyes! The hardest thing in the world to hear is when that gentleman says, “My life doesn’t mean a whole lot to me, but if I can make it mean something to somebody else…that’s my endeavor.” He sort of sums up the entire movie right there.
Brenda Giguere,CA
June 27th, 2009 at 8:04 pmThe movie is making me tear up just reading about it. Thank you.
It makes me wish I lived in a world where the press would take time out of their busy schedules following celebrities (or fawning over celebrity politicians) to talk about movie projects like this one.
Paul Couturier - OIF Vet
June 27th, 2009 at 8:10 pmCJ, I had the opportunity to see the movie itself back in April in Cambridge, MA! If you think the trailer is a tearjerker, the movie itself is even more so! Though I didn’t go through Bangor on the way home from Iraq (I went through Baltimore for my R&R Leave, and right to McGuire AFB when I came home for good!), as I was watching the film, I knew EXACTLY what the Soldiers shown in the film were going through as trhey came off the plane and the Troop Greeters were there to welcome them home! (For me, members of a local VFW post welcomed me home at the Baltimore airport when I came home on R&R leave).
I got to meet the 3 subjects of the film that day, as well as Gita and Aron. It’s an incredible film that all Americans ought to see!
And like you, I also had the opportunity to interview Aron and his producer, Gita Pullapilly, on my own BTR show! The film is coming to Boston in August, and I intend on seeing it again then!
I’m doing what I can to promote the film, and I’m sure you are as well CJ!
Marilyn
June 27th, 2009 at 8:23 pmThis was so touching. It is so awesome how these people touched so many lives. I loved it! God Bless Our Troops
Missy
June 27th, 2009 at 8:35 pmCan’t wait to see it. Thanks for doing this documentary – there are so many wonderful things going on around troop support that the MSM is ignoring.
USMCdaughter1
June 27th, 2009 at 9:17 pmA story that much needs to be told and seen by all Americans.
We need to see much more of these types of films.
Congratulations on a job well done to the great Americans in this film. May God bless and keep them.
Elyse
Miss Ladybug
June 27th, 2009 at 9:53 pmDon’t the screenings at SXSW (one of which I was able to go to, since it took place during Spring Break) count as “premiering” in the US??
Excellent film. See it if you have the opportunity.
Larry Bailey
June 28th, 2009 at 7:49 amI can’t wait to see this film! It will be one of only two films I’ll have seen all year. We need more pro-US cinematography like this.
Paul
June 30th, 2009 at 1:19 pmThis is such a true story it’s about time it was told. These people greeted me with the same enthusiasm when I came home back in 2004. I can’t wait for the movie.
God bless Bangor Maine and it’s citizens for coming out for every military flight that come in, regardless of the time. I’m proud to be an American.