Joey shines. I wanted more from her and to a certain level, it performed. The rest of it was rather predictable. This movie should have been named Joey. She carries the film. Everything else is rather predictable in lesbian movies. Her main love interest is stuck in a loveless marriage and etc. What I do like is that it takes the extra effort to affirm a lesbian relationship in the early 2000s in the USA and Joey is here for it (for better or worse). I'm here for Joey, she is the star and the reason to watch this film.
17 Reviews
Low budget low acting low story low everything
lbytesxk29 October 2018
This movie is trying to tackle and portrait a subject that is not easy to put on the screen delicately. But if you want to see a well made movie about the subject go watch Carol. Oh I know it's a "Hollywood product" and blah blah but at least it has actors, acting, talent and direction. This film has none of that. It's got two protagonists who are not able to pull anything off simply because they lack any talent, skill or authenticity. What they lack is being substituted by a lackluster music score.
Good story, good screenwriting but absolutely zero execution right down to the directing
Good action with sad ending
vanthymai9 May 2021
Why it hurts so bad to get used
bettycjung11 June 2018
Warning: Spoilers
6/7/18. This is a sad love story of a lesbian (Kirke), named Joey who falls for a needy woman with kids looking for an emotional and financial connection in every which way she can. Sadly, Joey is willing to give up everything for the woman she loves, but that woman (Wool) does not reciprocate in kind. All she was looking for is someone to support her, be that someone be a man or a woman. In the end, you will feel bad for Joey.
Unbelievable Yet Cliché
earthboli15 October 2017
Warning: Spoilers
For whatever reason, there is a whole subgenre of "lesbian" films about gay women falling in love with married women/women in relationships with men. This movie is no departure, and ends up being very cliché. The acting is fine, but no character is likable at all. The script makes "Joey" seem wooden, and "Rayna" as flighty and superficial. Have we seen this before? Yes. Does it put a different spin on the old cliché? No, unless you think backwoods Pennsylvania makes things more worthwhile for a love story.
The story is set in a small hick town in Pennsylvania, where Rayna is worried about appearances (and can't look gay), yet women seem to give each other bedroom eyes regularly, and every where you go in this movie, there's no shortage of lesbians ready to flirt and get it on after a few quick words. This is supposed to be realistic? It's far from it. Joey and Rayna get together pretty quickly, and as I said, it adds to the unreality of the movie. What is realistic is Joey's youth, idealism, and lack of long term planning, and that complicates things, as well as Rayna's "one-foot-out-the-door" mentality. But ultimately, this movie is hollow and devoid of deeper meaning, and again, falls into similar trappings of many other movies.
There's nothing redeeming about this film, and it repeats all of the expected clichés, leaving you feeling irritated and annoyed that you wasted your time on another take on the same theme. This kind of plot is far too overdone in so-called lesbian films....don't we deserve better?
The story is set in a small hick town in Pennsylvania, where Rayna is worried about appearances (and can't look gay), yet women seem to give each other bedroom eyes regularly, and every where you go in this movie, there's no shortage of lesbians ready to flirt and get it on after a few quick words. This is supposed to be realistic? It's far from it. Joey and Rayna get together pretty quickly, and as I said, it adds to the unreality of the movie. What is realistic is Joey's youth, idealism, and lack of long term planning, and that complicates things, as well as Rayna's "one-foot-out-the-door" mentality. But ultimately, this movie is hollow and devoid of deeper meaning, and again, falls into similar trappings of many other movies.
There's nothing redeeming about this film, and it repeats all of the expected clichés, leaving you feeling irritated and annoyed that you wasted your time on another take on the same theme. This kind of plot is far too overdone in so-called lesbian films....don't we deserve better?
Way too typical(SPOILERS)
nadasunbeam27 November 2020
Warning: Spoilers
Ok, first let me start with the positives. I enjoyed the cast they acted with authenticity, the setting and general portrayals of life for many people in a rural Pennsylvania town was believable. The soundtrack was good, and I do believe the directing was good. What I didn't like about the movie was the same old obvious cliches that many LGTBQ+ movies replay over and over again. It's so overdone. Just because you change the town, or the financial statuses of the characters doesn't make it some new reimagined film. This is typical especially of lesbian depicted relationships. Young naive woman, falls for older married woman in an unhealthy marriage to some loudmouth bully or in this case redneck. Older woman whines and complains about her rotten marriage and how she's stuck in it, only to keep sending mixed signals to the younger woman. Then suprise, older woman convinces the younger woman that she's ready to change her life and leave her marriage for love...only to...yep you guessed it run off with the younger woman causing her to risk her entire career and life just to blindside her by going back to her miserable husband. Leaving the younger woman completely crushed and in a seemingly hopeless end. Booooo, hissssss! I'm so over these kind of bs stories. Give the lesbians a happy ending for a change, or at the very least hopeful. LGBTQ+ youth are already at a higher suicide risk. If I had watched this as a teenager I probably would have wanted to throw myself off a bridge. Think up some new material writers...really what a waste of what could have been a heroic and truly uplifting love story.
Depressing movie...
moreit28 March 2020
AWOL is the story of Joey, a teenage tomboy. She's given a way out of her rural hometown with the army, but everything changes when she meets Rayna...
rozehannah9 June 2017
AWOL is such an honest film, that when you watch it you effortlessly breathe and feel with its main characters. This is due to director Deb Shoval's remarkable ability to submerge you in a small Pennsylvania coal town, and to actresses Lola Kirke's and Breeda Wool's fearless performances as Joey and Rayna. It is an intimate look at the lives of those who don't often grace the silver screen: soldier recruits, wives, closeted lesbians, and rural American families. AWOL is poignant, guarded, raw- like Joey and Rayna's relationship. Watching it will make you more compassionate, more understanding, and somehow more human.
I was actively rooting against the relationship.
flygirl51710 August 2020
Nice to watch
Otuoacheampong9731 July 2017
I was not fact totally aware of the kind of movie I was watching.But as the time went on I came to realise the excitement hidden in this movie.I liked the acting and directing of this film.In fact,if am to recommend any relationship based story to anyone,it will be this title.It should receive positive reviews and I wouldn't be afraid to give it 100%
Kirke, Wool Captivate in Deb Shoval Directorial Debut
ldavieshenderson23 May 2017
Warning: Spoilers
From the opening shot, AWOL draws you in to its landscape of people, place and passion. Kirke and Wool, working with a backdrop of economic and personal distress, use their characters to paint a picture of the interrelated challenges of life and love. Director Shoval commits to the authenticity of her characters, allowing the story to unfold without compromise.
An authentic, important and moving piece of independent filmmaking
l-wellsjones27 May 2017
I have been following the progress of this film, eagerly anticipating its release. From the opening sequence, through to the final frame I was invested in the characters journey and the underlining themes of the story. Authentic directing from Shoval helped create space for the characters to build, only cutting and moving the camera when necessary. The queerness of the characters is not made out to be the central theme of the film, however, the love story is genuine. Kirke delivers an emotive performance that reflects a relatable, yet painful depiction of the reckless nature of a first love.
Lighter fluid might make it better
gunsanddonuts4 July 2017
Okay, when I watched this movie THEN saw that it had 100% on Rotten Tomatoes, I thought surely I slipped into an alternate universe...then I realized only 6 people reviewed the movie. I'm going to assume those 6 are either related to the actors/writers OR they have been kept in an underground bunker since birth, devoid of human contact and without concept of language beyond guttural sounds and hand gestures. In a nutshell, this movie sucked at all levels..the acting...the story...the direction...the ending...the dialogue. I could go on. About the only thing that kept my interest was my discomfort with the cleanliness of mobile home and Reyna's unkempt hair. There was nothing "artistic" about this movie, in fact, I've watched people grab their luggage off a baggage carousel with more enthusiasm. BOO!
Independent
stefanoascioti30 October 2017
I got much more than anticipated from this film, it is a simple loving poignant portrayal of humanity devoid of all Hollywood exorbitance. The basic story line of unrequited love may be as old as man, yet the tearful accompanying pain equates all with a real and unforgettable experience.
Catch this one on Netflix if you can...
juanmuscle7 October 2018
Warning: Spoilers
Dang, talk about a fork on the road type of situation here... I thought this was a neat story, the protagonist is a really swell thespian in my book, she is a delight to see the sweet naivatte behind her eyes to the stark contradistinction of the cold harsh world in her bleak reality; what started off as a sweet impulse on the wings of romance turned out to be a bathos ridden sorry tale converging on the roads to all human degradation, I also thought the mom character was really sweet, she was nice and caring in her own way.
Great
mrbgoode-113 August 2019
Worth re-watching
sklary10 August 2021
A very well done film. Surprisingly so given its very low budget. Excellent acting and cinematography. The atmosphere draws the viewer in and the characters are very personable and carry the story very well. A hidden jam of a film.
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