The Way We Get By Movie Review
Documentary About Troop Greeters Full of Heart-Felt Emotion
The Way We Get By was screened at its Southeast Premiere in the American Independent Competition at the 2009 Florida Film Festival.
A Documentary About Troop Greeters at Bangor Airport
The tiny Bangor Airport in Maine (which has hosted former presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton) is the first American airport encountered by airliners as they approach the United States from the east, and the last major airport for airliners heading toward Europe. A small band of volunteers (some veterans, some military families, some just loyal Americans) keeps track of every incoming flight carrying U.S. Troops in order to schedule formal greeting sessions, which include handshakes, hugs, kind words, snacks, information on fallen soldiers, and free cell phone use (for arriving soldiers).
The Way We Get By focuses on three particular people among the group of volunteers – Bill Knight, Joan Gaudet (the filmmaker’s mother), and Jerry Mundy. All three of these senior adults live alone with health problems and money issues, yet make themselves available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year to greet U.S. Troops arriving and departing from the airport. Their commitment to the Troops for the past six years has given them a renewed purpose in life at a time when they often feel devalued by society because of their age. As part of the Maine Troop Greeters, they have a reason to live and it’s the way they get by.
Production Values of The Way We Get By
The biggest draw of this documentary isn’t the writing, editing, camera work, locations, or other cinematic features – it’s the human drama. Seniors, veterans, families of soldiers, volunteers, and general audiences can all connect with at least some of the emotional elements in the film. There’s grief (soldiers leaving for war, old age replacing youth, family members and pets dying), fear (family members serving in Iraq, financial worries, health problems), and joy (greeting homebound soldiers, establishing connections within the greeter community, enjoying family, friends, and pets), plus a range of other emotions experienced by the greeters, Troops, and relatives at the airport.
There’s nothing slick about the presentation here. The small airport, three main characters, and their modest homes are introduced. We learn something about their backgrounds through interviews and photographs on display. The camera zooms in for uncomfortable close-ups each time Bill, Joan, or Jerry gets misty eyed. The Way We Get By offers simple storytelling where the drama of the story takes precedence over the art of the telling.
- The Way We Get By
- A group of senior citizens in Bangor, Maine, greets U.S. soldiers 24 hours a day every day of the year as the Maine Troop Greeters.
- Starring Bill Knight, Joan Gaudet, Jerry Mundy
- Director: Aron Gaudet
- Run Time: 84 minutes
- Rating: Not Rated
- Genre: Documentary
- Additional Information: The national television premiere of The Way We Get By is coming in late 2009 to the PBS series P.O.V.
To learn more about documentaries on American heroes, read 9/11 First Responder Documentary Update. To learn about other senior adults finding new purpose in their lives, read Young @ Heart Movie Review.
Three Maine Troop Greeters
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