TRIBECA REVIEW: ‘All That Way For Love’

All That Way For Love, the new 20-minute short film at the Tribeca Film Festival, follows Simon (Andrew Simpson), a young Irishman traveling throughout Africa. With eyes filled with optimism and perhaps some naiveté, Simon faces an emotional crossroads when he’s picked up by a married couple (Belinda Stewart Wilson and Derek De Lint) in the middle of Malawi. His sole objective is to find his girlfriend, but Simon soon realizes there’s more than he bargained for in this hitchhiking journey.

The wife is kind and sexy, while her husband is gruff and exact. It appears to be a semi-abusive relationship, and it doesn’t take Simon long to find himself squarely in the middle of their marital fray.

The conclusion is surprising, and it will be up to each audience member on how to deal with the revelation. For me, the final minutes feel somewhat disconnected from the overall film. Characters make unspeakably bad choices that don’t seem to fit their personality. Everything that director Henry Mason builds up is too conveniently torn down.

Still, there’s a lot to learn in the provocations of All That Way For Love. It keeps one’s interest, and the African scenery is authentic (Mason shot the film in Kenya). There’s a lot to explore in these 20 minutes, and spending a little more time with each character would be most welcome — that way we can understand their harsh decisions.

The short film is part of the Fallout series at Tribeca.

By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com

• Click here for more information on All That Way For Love.