Year by the Sea


Year by the Sea is a 2016 independent American comedy-drama film starring Karen Allen, Yannick Bisson, S. Epatha Merkerson, Michael Cristofer, and Celia Imrie. It is the screenwriting and directorial debut of film composer Alexander Janko. The film is based on Joan Anderson's 2000 "The New York Times" best-selling memoir A Year by the Sea: Thoughts of an Unfinished Woman.

Premise

Hoping to reclaim who she was before marriage and children, an empty nester retreats to Cape Cod where she embarks upon a quest to set herself free.

Cast

"Year by the Sea" was filmed in Massachusetts at various locations on Cape Cod, including Wellfleet, Orleans, Chatham and Eastham.

Release

"Year by the Sea" opened at the 2016 Vail Film Festival in Vail, Colorado, where the film won the Audience Award and Karen Allen was honored with the Vanguard Award for her role in "Year by the Sea" and her lifetime achievements in film. The film played at a total of 18 film festivals throughout 2016, earning a total of 16 awards. In January 2017, the film was released by independent distributor Real Women Make Waves at select Florida theaters. In May 2017, the film was released in select New England theaters. In September 2017, the film launched its national release at Lincoln Plaza Cinemas in New York City, ultimately playing in more than 100 theaters nationwide. In late 2017, the film became available for rent and purchase on Amazon in the US and on iTunes in the US and Canada. It launched for rent/sale on Amazon UK in July 2019.

Awards

Audience Choice:
Flickers’ Rhode Island International Film Festival;
Naperville Independent Film Festival;
Berkshire International Film Festival ;
Vail Film Festival
Best Feature:
On Location: Memphis International Film and Music Festival
Best Screenplay:
Grand Prize - Flickers’ Rhode Island International Film Festival;
Outstanding Achievement - Newport Beach Film Festival
Best Music:
Alexander Janko - Hamilton Film Festival
Overall Awards:
Carpe Diem Andretta Award - Woodstock Film Festival
Actor Awards:
Best Actress — Naperville Independent Film Festival & Hamilton Film Festival;
Women in Film Award — St. Louis International Film Festival;
Creative Vision Award — Flickers’ Rhode Island International Film Festival;
Vanguard Award — Vail Film Festival;
Best Ensemble Cast — Best Actors Film Festival

Reception

The independently produced and distributed film received mixed reviews. It has a 48% critic rating and an 83% audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Glenn Kenny of "The New York Times" gave the film a fresh tomato, calling it "refreshing in its depiction of diverse, older female characters." Sheri Linden of "The Hollywood Reporter" also gave the film a fresh tomato, saying, "In Allen's spark and grace, there's a real sense of discovery." And Alan Scherstuhl of "The Village Voice" positively reviewed "Year by the Sea", noting, "the film has soothing, even therapeutic value." Meanwhile, Bill Goodykoontz of The Arizona Republic awarded the film two stars out of five. Susan Wloszczyna of The Washington Post awarded the film two stars out of four. Ty Burr of The Boston Globe awarded the film one and a half stars. And Al Alexander of The Patriot Ledger gave the film a negative review and wrote that it "is little more than a lame excuse for good actors to embarrass themselves by uttering eye-rolling bromides about aging gracefully."