Director: Tim True
Writer: Csaba Mera, Tim True (Screenplay)
Starring: Anna Camp, Steven Strait, Joe Lo Truglio, Chloe Mason, Kristin Taylor
Plot: Terminally ill Anna returns to Oregon to reconnect with her estranged brother while simultaneously making the heart-wrenching choice to end her life putting to use the Death with Dignity Act.
Tagline – She’s coming home to say goodbye.
Runtime: 1 Hour 25 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Story: Here Awhile starts when Anna (Camp) returns to her family home where her brother Michael (Strait) is living still, she does have bad news, she is dying and wants to make the difficult decision with the support of her brother.
Michael has a neighbor that visits daily in Gary (Truglio) that brings moments of joy to Anna’s life, with the trip down memory lane being more about a goodbye, than a reunion.
Thoughts on Here Awhile
Characters – Anna has spent most of her adult life away from her family after her father kicked her out for being a lesbian, she returns to her brother in her time of need, when she is fighting cancer, to say goodbye, not continue the battle she has found herself losing, she finds herself walking down memory lane, with her plans to end her life being her motivation for reconnection. Michael is the brother that was raised by Anna, he has lost contact due to their father’s actions, he welcomes her back, but is left broken with her decision. Gary is the neighbor with his own mental disabilities, which sees his visits as a way for both to check up on each other, he starts to come out of his shell more when Anna gets to know him, while his intelligence will help leave more memories for Anna.
Performances – The three leads, Anna Camp, Steven Strait and Joe Lo Truglio are all wonderful to watch through the film, they bring their characters to life through the difficult situations.
Story – The story here follows a woman that returns to a family home to reconnect with her brother before saying one final goodbye after her cancer treatments have failed, meaning she doesn’t have much time left. This is a story that will bring us the highlighted moments that show us how the suffering from cancer would be for someone that is willing to end their life, which will see them needing to spend time with loved ones before the final day. We do go through the moments you would expect to see, days out, bringing the loved ones together, keeping everything calm, which is what you would expect.
Settings – The film uses the old family home as the most important setting, showing the moment down the memory lane, which will make Anna’s final days worth even more to her.
Scene of the Movie – Beach day.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – Nothing.
Final Thoughts – Here Awhile is a realistic heart retching look at dealing with a devastating illness.
Signature Entertainment presents Here Awhile on Amazon Prime Video 11th December
