Having read all of Joan Anderson's books I was excited to finally get the opportunity to see the movie, I didn't want to get my hopes up as so many times novels don't relate well on film, and this was one of those movies. The books contain deep meaningful conversations with Joan Erickson, a fascinating woman with deep psychological insight and together the two Joan's talk about life, being a woman. being authentic and what its like to grow older and looking back on experiences with hindsight. When alone Joan connects with herself on a deep level against the beautiful backdrop of ocean, nature and solitude. But this film had Joan Erickson fluttering around like a new age hippy, while the other Joan awkwardly joins in when she wasn't drinking copious glasses of wine, spouting cliche ramblings of her life. Gone was the quiet reflection of the books instead it turned into a community soap opera. There was no depth between the story and characters and little in the way to indicate this is a story of personal growth. If you haven't read the book you may enjoy this as a light movie, but it is quite forgettable after watching.
Review of Year by the Sea
