AWOL (2016) Reviews

• Independent

  stefanoascioti2017-10-30

  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.

• 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...

  rozehannah2017-06-09

  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.

• Nice to watch

  Otuoacheampong972017-07-31

  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

  ldavieshenderson2017-05-23

  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.

• Unbelievable Yet Cliché

  earthboli2017-10-15

  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?