by Shane Conto, Staff Writer
How often do you feel dumbfounded after sitting through a film? I generally have a good track record of being able to articulate some form of thoughts and perspectives on a film right after I watch it. But there have been a few times where I just couldn’t reason out anything to say. Films have the potential of being so shocking and disturbing that you might not be in the right mental space to answer any questions or offer up opinions. Confusion could also be the root issue. Sometimes, though, there is a film that is so misguided and nonsensical that there are just no words. Welcome to Get Away If You Can.
What kind of film could possibly be so messy? When it comes down to it, this film is relatively straightforward. This story is one of a fracturing marriage on the rocks. A couple (portrayed by the co-writers-directors of the film Terrence Martin and Dominique Braun) thinks a bright idea of fixing their sinking marriage is to go on a trip out at sea. Bright idea, right? Along with plenty of pressure from the father (Ed Harris) and brother (Riley Smith) of Martin, this relationship is spiraling out of control. This is the story of how to get them back together.
How can such a simple premise go so wrong? First off, there is no consistent structure to this story. If it wasn’t for change in settings, you would have no idea when each scene is happening and in what order. The non-linear storytelling means nothing to this story and honestly just makes it more confusing. For the 80 minutes of runtime, this is a convoluted mess. The actual writing is shaky as well. The dialogue is blunt as a refined hammer. The characters are paper thin and are just caricatures. Harris’ character is just a string of stereotypical right-wing rhetoric with no nuance or intrigue. You never buy in to this marriage, and their attempted reconciliation is even more unbelievable.
Can the technical side of things bolster the film? Somewhat. The visuals for the film are honestly fine, and they do take advantage of the beautiful ocean and island settings for the main narrative. But it is not all sunshine and rainbows in technical land either. The audio is off with hollow echoes occurring throughout. This film feels cheap due to the low-quality equipment that produces unsatisfactory audio experiences.
But can the actors save the day? Marin and Braun should stick with one of their other jobs. Martin is stiff and awkward in every scene. How can I buy in when I do not believe or feel a single thing one of the leads is saying? Braun is better, but she even has her flat moments as a performer. Harris is acting circles around Martin in every scene they share. But even Harris is not 100% immune to the horribly stale and cliché dialogue he is saddled with (I picked up on a few knowing glances to the camera).
Is Get Away If You Can a worthwhile experience? I feel like making a joke related to the title, but that is some low hanging fruit. This is a dumb and messy film that amounts to almost nothing. The horribly off and tonally awkward musical choices should be your first clue. But everything comes together for an unsatisfying and weird experience.
Score: 2/10
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