2 of 2

Maggie Gyllenhaal as LN

As with all movies that seek to capture a cultural moment, music is important. And much of this lovely Nick Drake-like score is provided by tracks from singer/songwriter Alexi Murdoch's debut album Time Without Consequence. This lyric from Orange Sky, a song on that album, might be a kind of motto for Burt and Verona: "In your love, my salvation lies." It's a sentiment that both reveals the profound tenderness that exists between these two, and suggests their vulnerability as even the most earnest human love is a fragile thing compared to the love that does actually save.

I watched Hackers again a few years ago and had to confess to myself that my fear had come true. Apparently, in 1995 we thought the Internet looked much like a large Pac Man game. But worse than that, I just didn't get the movie anymore. It was hard to indentify with any of the characters or their maudlin concerns. My 16-year-old self was very disappointed with me.

Away they go

And I wonder if, in another ten years, the concerns that animate Away with Me will feel somewhat foreign as well. Surely community is a timeless concern for many people, especially Christians. But it's hard to ignore that there is something incredibly privileged about having the time and resources to search for community in the fashion of Burt and Verona. And hovering off on stage right is the issue of living up to one's potential. It all seems dangerously close to being precious and self-absorbed in that way of middle class hipsters who are deathly afraid of leading average lives.

At some point, you have to stop shopping for a life and start living. The two aren't mutually exclusive, but I wonder if the quirky 30somethings trying to answer these basic questions will bore me ten years down the line. Hopefully I will have moved on to other things. And yet, I can't deny that right now, Away We Go feels true. And so, cagily, I hope there never comes a day when I don't get this movie.

Talk About It

1. Have you ever felt (or do you now feel) untethered? How did you cope with this feeling? Did you change anything about your life as a result?
   
   
2. Why do you think community is important? Is it more important for Christians than for others? Would you move—or not move—for the sake of community? Why or why not?
   
   
3. Discuss the places Burt and Verona consider in their search for a home. Which place would you have picked? Why?
   
   

The Family Corner

Away We Go is rated R for language and some sexual content. It features swearing and frank, though not explicit, sex and discussions of sex. Burt and Verona are engaged in oral sex in the movie's opening scene.

Photos © Focus Films

© Christianity Today International. All rights reserved. Click for reprint information.

1. Plugged In
   
2. Crosswalk
   
3. Catholic News Service
   
4. Past the Popcorn

first page |  2 of 2