Great Barrington — Sometimes the stars align themselves and present us with awesome situations. Is it true that coincidence is where God touches the earth? This is what happened with one of the movies that we are fortunate enough to have the opportunity to view during the Berkshire International Film Festival that opens tonight, June 2, and continues through Sunday, June 5.
I haven’t seen it yet but after speaking to most of the principals involved — first time director Alexander Janko, author of the source material Joan Anderson, lead actress Karen Allen, and the producer and creative partner of Mr. Janko, Laura Goodenow — I am very eager to view it. The film is “A Year by the Sea” and it is highly anticipated by a huge fan base for this memoir of self-actualization. A woman (Joan Anderson) is stifled by her stale marriage and feelings of lack of accomplishment in becoming her truest self. She decides to separate from her husband and live alone in a family cottage in Cape Cod. The year is transformative for her and empowering to many women (and men) who have felt that their life has lost meaning and focus.
The many incidents that led to Joan’s successful quest to find herself are truly amazing. How do you account for her meeting during a walk on a jetty, on a foggy day, the remarkable Joan Erikson? She was in her 90’s and full of spontaneity and wonder and pushed the author to continue her quest for self awareness and joy. Joan Erikson was the widow of the renowned psychologist, Erik Erikson — famous for his eight stages of psychosocial development and on the staff of the Austen Riggs Center in Stockbridge from 1951 -1960. He coined the term “identity crisis” which was exactly what the author was going through. And his widow had developed a “ninth stage” which was based on “new demands, re-evaluations and daily difficulties” of old age. But most importantly it included the transcendence that she believed could happen at this age with the attitude of joy and positiveness she exuded.
The elder Joan becomes her mentor in life and encourages her to take risks and actualize herself. She believed in the importance of play and joy in our lives — at any age. The old adage applies, “When the student is ready, the teacher appears.” Joan Anderson needed to become her own person. It is incredible that she met this woman at this stage of her life — exactly the right person to push her to become her best self. One of Joan Erikson’s quotes sums up her attitude, “The highest task of two people in a relationship is to stand guard over the solitude of the other.”
And other coincidences come together in the making of this film. Alexander Janko said that he was at a crossroads in his life when this book appeared on his kitchen counter (a result of a book swap at the local dump!) and he felt that it captured the identity crisis he was going through in his own life. He had been an accomplished award-winning musician for many films and decided to veer away from this field and try directing — with this book that he resonated with. I have heard from all sources that it was a particularly fortuitous situation having Alexander Janko direct this film. He was raised with all sisters, his father was an ob-gyn, and he attended a girls parochial school — he had a feminist perspective which served him well on this film. I have also heard the term “Renaissance man” describing him and in truth, it seems to be on the mark.
The director (who was also the screenwriter) was very determined to get real actors, “seasoned thespians in command of their craft.” He gathered an amazing group of actors: Karen Allen, Michael Cristofer, C. Epatha Merkerson, Yannick Bisson and Celia Imrie who have won among them a Golden Globe, Emmy, Tony and a Pulitzer Prize! The director used his background in music as a way to let the actors express themselves if they felt their character as written was not working.The term he used is a “lead sheet” which is basically what jazz musicians use — the melody is there but the players are free to “riff” on it. And that is exactly what Mr. Janko encouraged his actors to do. This gave the actors the freedom to be their creative best. What I heard over and over again from everyone on the set is the word “trust.” He believed that giving them this freedom would produce the greatest creative work. He stated that the “golden rule” on set was that the script was not iron clad — it was a true collaboration with the actors.
It was a tight shoot — 22 days — after all, it was an independent film with an “independent” budget. The director wanted them to become one with nature — and he required them to come and spend a week on Cape Cod before filming began — to release their ties to our media-driven world and slow down — without cell phones, television etc. to become one with the primal nature of Cape Cod. Laura Goodenow related that the director was determined to have the evocative landscape of Cape Cod be a character in this work, believing that it was essential to the integrity of the story.
There were many challenges — the weather, the location (April can be cold on the Cape and it was often difficult for the crew and others to get there), working with animals and children, and shooting on the water. Karen Allen said that there were difficulties that were endemic with such a short shoot (continuity could entail 15 costume changes in a day and of course, the weather produced some uncomfortable swims). The producer also noted that Ms. Allen was in almost every scene which was challenging but well done. (“Kudos to Karen”). Ms. Allen stated that the director picked the actors very carefully and confidence and trust prevailed on the set. From all accounts (the film won the Audience Award at Vail Film Festival and Karen Allen won the Vanguard Award there — for her performance and body of work) this atmosphere of love and trust was successful. At the Newport Beach Film Festival Alexander Janko received the Outstanding Achievement in Filmmaking for Screenwriting. Joan Anderson’s fan base has also shown tremendous support for this translation of her inspirational memoir. Janko had the difficult task of taking essentially a memoir of feelings and thoughts and transforming it into a movie with action substituting for thoughts.
But it was a joyful set. Joan Anderson (who was there every day) said that it was the happiest three weeks of her life. And one can see that if your life is portrayed as successfully as hers — it must have been gratifying for her. She said that when her family (including her two sons and three grandsons) saw the film at the international opening at Vail Film Festival, they all were sobbing. Finally, they “got it”, what she had been striving for — to transcend the mundane, to become her essential best self, that she was a “woman as unfinished as the shore.” A woman always in transition.
Joan’s honesty regarding her self-exploration in her memoir hit a chord in many of her readers — and hopefully now in this film. And it is not just women who have responded to her message. Just as she changed throughout this year — her husband had to change also if their marriage were to survive her seeking her essential self. The director said that men who have viewed the movie have been moved by this existential drama and have found themselves questioning their own lives.
My curiosity is definitely peaked and I hope yours is too. Let’s meet at the Mahaiwe on Saturday, June 4 at 12:30 p.m. to view “A Year By the Sea”. See you at the Festival!
