REELGUY’S XTRA REVIEW: “The Way We Get By” gives Mainers something to be proud of

“The Way We Get By” is a locally filmed documentary about the troop greeters who come out to meet and greet soldiers going to and coming back from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The movie focuses on three elderly troop greeters, Bill, Joan, and Jerry, and their lives at and beyond Bangor International Airport. The director, Aron Gaudet, sensitively portrays the trials these older Americans face, from losing a loved one, having to sell one’s home, or dealing with serious medical problems. But through it all these three summon the strength to awake during the early morning hours and travel to BIA to put a happy face on for our fighting boys and girls.

“The Way We Get By” will make viewers proud to be an American while also causing us to question how we care for our aging seniors. Gaudet shows a beautiful Maine through her seasons, as a setting for the work Bill, Joan, and Jerry have to do. Following these three folks for four years, the director creates a storyline for each person that loops back to the importance of greeting troops to each of them. It was refreshing to hear that the three are not blindly in support of the wars but unquestionably support the military men and women sent to fight.

Gaudet manages to get his subjects to open up about themselves, their concerns, and about what’s important to them. While occasionally the subjects can be difficult to understand, their meaning and intentions shine through effectively. Gaudet may have taken one too many trips back and forth to the airport before wrapping the story up, but the movie ends on an appropriately melancholy note.

After experiencing this sentimental journey, “The Way We Get By” will find a place in your heart. I heartily endorse seeing this powerful film that gives all Mainers something to be proud of.

Not rated