Back in 2011, Deb Shoval‘s short film AWOL made a big impression at the Sundance Film Festival. The short film has been expanded into a feature length film, starring Lola Kirke and Breeda Wool as its leading ladies.
AWOL is the story of Joey (Lola), a young woman who falls in love with an older married woman (Breeda) with children, in a small rural Pennsylvanian town. With few options for employment, and Rayna’s husband hot on the heels of their affair, Joey joins the Army. Just before she is shipped off on a tour of Afghanistan, Joey reveals her plan to go AWOL, taking Rayna and her kids along with her to a new life in Canada.
Lola Kirke said of the film:
“Most simply, it is an honest narrative about growing up and falling in love and how incredible but also inconvenient that can be when everything, from your age to your financial position (to a husband!) goes against your being with that person. There is no shortage of this kind of story out there, perhaps because there is no shortage of this kind of pain and joy in real life. People need to make movies about it and people need to see them; both experiences can be healing and enlightening, and that’s what my experience on this shoot has been. It is a very special film and I am so happy to be a part of it.”
Principal photography has wrapped on AWOL, which means hopefully audiences will be seeing the film at festivals and theatres within the year. Keep up with the film’s progress on their official Facebook page. Here is the original short film that the feature is based on.
