“The decision to separate seemed to happen overnight.”

So begins Joan Anderson’s A Year By the Sea, a book that I found on a cold January morning in 2008 at the Northampton, Massachusetts transfer station. After dumping our recyclables and landfill contributions, I took a peek into the tiny shack overflowing with books and household goods ready for exchange. A Year by the Sea had lost its dust jacket, but I was captivated by the title, the hint of Anne Morrow Lindberg. In the depths of parenting a toddler, the seaside was a favorite place to play, and a year by the sea sounded dreamy. When we got home, I put the book on the kitchen island and carried on with our day.

Joan’s opening words were not ones X and I had spoken, nor were we ready to speak them, but they gave form to a lurking shadow. Was our marriage working? Were we thriving as individuals? A couple? A family? We had a beautiful child, a lovely home, and a relationship founded on a deep friendship that began when we were seventeen. While we both were witness to imperfections in our parents’ marriages that manifested in different ways, neither of us understood divorce personally.

For us, the decision to separate did not happen overnight. It was like removing a Band-Aid, one hair at a time, hoping it would hurt less. We resisted, we tried options, we talked, we cried. It wound up being baby-step by baby-step that we went our separate ways while retaining a friendship that encompasses our evolving selves better than marriage ever did. It is as imperfect as we are, yet unconditional. “As unfinished as the shoreline.” Joan’s words.

It turns out as soon as G and I left the kitchen that day, X came up from his studio for a cup of tea, found the book and the opening line. He spent the rest of the day reading and promptly reached out to Joan’s agent. The rest is his story.

Eventually I read the book and the first several versions of the script. It would take many years and the resolution of our marriage before Year by the Sea seemed ready to get out of development. As most projects do, it came down to an issue of funding. Many people were interested, but there was no “first dollar in.” Without it, another dream would be put in the drawer.

From the start, I felt a connection: the relevance of Joan’s story and X’s ability to tell it despite being a novice director. I knew firsthand how he worked to establish himself in the film music world, often staying up night after night to master a new program or meet his deadlines. When we got our first home, he bought Sunset books on construction, plumbing, and electrical so he could re-wire, re-plumb, and rebuild our fixer-upper. In all aspects of life, if he didn’t know how to do something, he would learn. More, I felt he was uniquely qualified to tell Joan’s story because he, too, was brave enough to seek freedom in solitude, to try to understand his journey. He reclaimed his own life and in the process offered me mine.

Joan’s story is about a woman, but it is a universal tale: the need to dive deep within ourselves to reflect on who we are and why we are here. It’s about uncovering ourselves away from defined roles and connecting with our essential selves. There is so much hatred, fear, and distrust in our world today; our common humanity is getting lost. This film is a call to start our own healing process. It’s about living a life of meaning, listening to our true voices, and getting closer to what matters.

If it’s anything, life certainly is unpredictable.

When my mother died suddenly of a heart attack, I was left in shock, mid-sentence in our life’s conversation. X and I had been divorced for two years, but as promised, he helped me sort out everything she left behind. For anyone who has gone through it, you know; it is grueling work—combined with the often-immobilizing pain of loss—especially when your second parent passes. Everything shifted to me including the next lottery ticket upstairs.

It’s probably no surprise now to learn that my belief in Joan’s book and X’s readiness to translate it to the screen were met with an opportunity to help make the film in a tangible way. Taking this step felt like both the biggest risk and the most necessary decision I had ever made.

Joan’s central tenet called out to me, “It’s never too late to reclaim your life.”

It’s never too late, until it is.

My mother believed in “living it up,” “rising above it,” and seizing the day. She loved the line, “If I had my life to live over, I’d pick more daisies.” (Nadine Stair) If part of her legacy could be to spread such an affirming message far and wide, I believe she would be proud.

As I was creating the business framework to support the movie, I thought of both my parents without whom I would be no one, least of all executive producer of this movie. B-Arrow Enterprises comes from my dad whose heart belonged to the land and his cattle despite being a well-respected attorney. B ↑ was his brand, and it was his enterprise on all fronts that made our family’s life possible. My mother was well known for her love of tennis, lesser known for her addiction to honey. How to pull all of this into one spirit and represent myself at the same time? If you look carefully at the beginning of the film, you will see a logo that honors them both with an animated daisy and bumblebee in honor of my mom—what I call my postcard from the movie to her, or to her from the movie.

At every stage of this journey—both personal and professional—I’ve heard the Little Engine That Could humming along the track: “I think I can, I think I can.” Each step in filmmaking is difficult from getting an approved script to finding funding to going through production and post. I thought it would be downhill from there, especially after a successful festival run (receiving awards in acting, screenwriting, and the film overall), but much as Joan struggled to find a publisher for her New York Times bestselling book, it has been difficult to find distribution. This is a story readers and audiences seem to understand better than executives.

I am delighted to report that after successful sneaks in Florida and on the Cape, our film is now being released nationwide (see below).

We hope you will take the time to go to the movies and check it out! Bring a friend, spread the word!

Anytime opening weekend is the best time to go; that’s how the decision gets made whether to widen the release.

If you have any interest in being one of our angels and helping with local publicity, please let me know. We can provide marketing materials, and schedule depending, will support opening weekend events, including virtual or live Q&As.

Thank you for helping us share Year by the Sea with the world!

 

TRAILER
http://www.yearbythesea.com

CURRENT RELEASE DATES (updated 8/25/17)
For details & the most up-to-date list go to:
http://www.yearbythesea.com/theatres/

September 8
New York, NY: Lincoln Plaza, Landmark Sunshine

September 15
Encino, CA: Laemmle Town Center
Pasadena, CA: Laemmle Playhouse
West Los Angeles, CA: Laemmle Royal

September 22
Anchorage, AK: Bear Tooth TheatrePub
Berkeley, CA: Landmark Shattuck
Hilton Head Island, SC: Coligny Theatre
Mesa, AZ: Harkins Superstition Springs
Mobile, AL: Crescent Theater
Philadelphia, PA: Landmark Ritz (at the Bourse)
Rosendale, NY: Rosendale Theatre
San Francisco, CA: Landmark Opera Plaza
Scottsdale, AZ: Harkins Shea
Washington DC: Landmark West End
West Newton, MA: West Newton Cinema

September 29
Dallas, TX: Angelika Film Center
Laguna Niguel, CA: Regency
Newburyport, MA: The Screening Room
Plano, TX: Angelika Film Center
San Diego, CA: Angelika Film Center
Santa Rosa, CA: Summerfield Cinemas
Waterville, ME: Railroad Square Cinema
York, PA: Small Star Art House

October 5
Miamisburg, OH: Plaza Theatre

October 6
Santa Fe, NM: The Screen

October 13
Flat Rock, NC: Flat Rock Cinema
Highlands, NC: Highlands Playhouse
Palm Desert, CA: Tristone

 

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2. GO to the movies, especially opening weekend
3. OFFER to do some local publicity – putting up a few posters can make a difference!