Emmy winners Sherri Shepherd and Mike Manning star opposite Penny Dreadful star Jonny Beauchamp and Riverdale’s Ashleigh Murray in an unnerving new film from writer/director Barry Jay that weaves in essential and topical issues such as alcoholism and substance abuse.
Alex is an aspiring singer/songwriter. He’s also a recovering drug addict, damaged from childhood abuse. After the murder of his estranged father, he inherits the family home. He takes in a roommate, a fighter, who takes Alex under his wing. His new roommate teaches him how to fight back and stand up to abusers. But soon this relationship and influence lead Alex down a dark path that threatens his sobriety and his life.
Discussing the film, LGBTQ+ filmmaker Barry Jay shared “Absence doesn’t always make the heart grow fonder. Sometimes it gives you the time and distance to gain the clarity to see how badly you were mistreated and the courage to finally do something about it. That was me – I moved out of an abusive household when I was 20 years old. I had been abused until after I was a senior in high school. Severely underweight, shut down, feared everyone and everything, and with good reason. Sobriety was a gift that helped me heal through all of that, a day at a time and that is the inspiration for The Way Out’.
My hope is to send a message to the abuser and the abused. To the abuser, I hope to show the ripple effect of their heinous actions, and how it can boomerang back to them, rightfully destroying their lives. To the abused, I hope to show there is hope, hope for better days, the ability to find the self-esteem and strength to create boundaries, and how forgiveness can be the thing that helps you finally drop the rock so you can create a better new and healthy life”.
The movie takes a distinctive approach to addressing the subject matter. The setting, along with character dynamics create a film that fuses elements of classics such as Fatal Attraction and Single White Female, illustrating that relationships aren’t always what they seem. It begins with much promise, but the lead characters’ slow pace, and sometimes flat performances, puncture the much-needed energy required to lift this film’s level of suspense.
The film is On Digital & On Demand from February 10th, 2023
Movie Rating: 2.5 stars.
Movie Rating Guide
1 Star = Unwatchable
2 Stars = Cannot Recommend
3 Stars = Great for the Fans
4 Stars = A Solid Movie
5 Stars = Must Own (DVD/Stream Download)
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