Miles Away

Author(s): TD (TX)
Miles Away

Directed by Steven Soderbergh
Written by Stephen Gaghan and Susannah Grant
Produced by Laura Bickford, Michael Shamberg, and Steven Soderbergh
Distributed by Focus Features
Cinematography by Steven Soderbergh (Peter Andrews)
Editing by Stephen Mirrione
Music by Thomas Newman

Principal Cast

Joaquin Phoenix as PFC Eric Sanders
Bahar Soomekh as Saman Al-Rashid Sanders
Wes Bentley as Pvt. Michael Dempsey
Zooey Deschanel as Clara Dempsey
Rhiannon Leigh Wryn as Kelly Dempsey

Tagline: “Two lovers. Two places. One goal: to see each other again.”

Synopsis:

Dear Saman,

I hope you’re doing well at the Dempseys’ home in Amesbury. Everything here in Iraq is not looking to well at all. Yesterday our battalion had lost three more of its soldiers, and I’m not sure how long I can’t take this. Everyday I get sick of seeing my friends dying in the streets and watching innocent civilians get attack by both our soldiers and the enemies’ men. However, I am glad that Michael is still alive and here with me. Today, he and his squad were in a bombing accident, and lucky for him he was the only survivor. I don’t know what I would do if he was dead now. I may be still fighting for our country or hopping on the first plane home to you. Saman, I want to come home and see you badly, and I know you wanted to stay here in Iraq , but your family and I felt it was best for you to move to Massachusetts away from the horror and violence here. Don’t worry for me, Saman. I’ll be home in about a month and I hope I’ll be alive until then. I love you, Saman, and I can’t wait to see you again.

With Love,

Eric

Dear Eric,

Life here in America is different from Iraq . I’m not sure what it is, but the people here in Amesbury have been acting strange towards me and some wouldn’t look at me at all. It’s been nearly a week since I’ve arrived at the Dempseys’ home, and it’s been quite difficult to get along with Clara. Ever since I arrived here she looks at me with disgust and treats me like I’m her servant. Last night she had a party and I was forced to stay in my room because she said I would embarrass her and little Kelly. And today I told her I will not cook for her and she threw a fit at me and locked me in my room. I thought you said she was a nice woman, but it appears both you and Michael were wrong. I am glad, however, that Kelly is nothing like her mother. She is very kind and caring to me, and I’ll admit she’s the only friend I have in this hateful country. Eric, I do hope you and Michael come home soon. I truly miss you a lot, and once you come home I want to leave this place. If the people here in Amesbury are truly like others in America then I don’t want to be here. Eric, I love you with all my heart, and I hope you come home safe and soon.

With Love,

Saman

What the press will say:

War is a cruel thing. Not only does it take away the lives of others, but it also separates the lives of others. For both Eric and Saman, this is the case they both suffer from. In Soderbergh’s newly acclaimed film, both of these characters are miles away from each on different continents facing difficult situation. Soderbergh’s film “Miles Away” is a deeply moving film that excels above his previous films and will become a hit this month. Not only does his brilliant directing in both an American scenic town and a Middle Eastern desert helps carry the film, but so does the script, which is written by two of Soderbergh’s previous film writers. Stephen Gaghan, who wrote the script for “Traffic”, and Susannah Grant, who wrote the script for “Erin Brockovich”, team up to work with their old friend to write this thoughtful and war-inducing script that’ll be hailed by all critics and audiences alike. The cast of “Miles Away” is perfect and every actor does an outstanding job in their role. Leading this wonderful cast is Joaquin Phoenix, who plays the main character Eric Sanders. Eric is a soldier who loves his country, and he joins the army to fight in the war against terrorism. While being in Iraq he sees that everything he’s fighting for is not worth it and all he wishes to do is leave and go back home with his best friend Michael Dempsey. Upon arrival in Iraq he meets a beautiful woman named Saman Al-Rashid, who is played by the wonderful actress Bahar Soomekh. Saman is an Iraqi woman who lost her parents in a bomb attack, and Eric heroically saves her from the attack. The two deliver outstanding performances as they go through their secret affair and marriage, her secret escape to America , and the struggle to live far away in a place he can’t stand and in a town that doesn’t accept her. Eric suffers through the horror of war, watching a lot of his friends and innocent civilians get killed in front of his eyes, while his wife suffers racism and hate in the small Massachusetts town.

Not only were the two leads great, but so were the supporting cast. Every good film with great leads needs a great supporting cast to back them up, and this film has it all. Wes Bentley, who plays Eric’s best friend Michael, is the only supporting male in this film, but he does an amazing job in his role. Michael is a young, optimistic soldier with a passion for wars and joins the army to fight in it, but after getting injured in the attack he realizes that losing his life at a young age is not worth fighting for a war that has no cause, and throughout the rest of the film he fights for his life on his death bed with Eric by his side. However, his wife Clara and his young daughter Kelly doesn’t know about his incident or that he’s dying. Instead the two must deal with Saman. Clara, who is brilliantly played by Zooey Deschanel, is a loving young woman taking care of her daughter while her husband is away at war. When she received the news about Michael offering to let Saman stay in their home, her loving attitude begins to fade away. Once Saman arrives, Clara begins to treat her differently by locking her in the guest room after dinner is over and she treats her like dirt. At times she would bring her out of the house, but Saman faces hate almost everywhere she goes, and Clara is ignored by all due to her being with Saman. However, the only person in Amesbury to treat Saman with love and care is Kelly, the Dempseys’ daughter. On days when she’s bored or lonely, she would talk to Saman and treat her as if she was her best friend. During the film Kelly is Saman’s only friend, and she doesn’t take her for granted.

“Miles Away” is a powerful and moving war drama film that’ll leave many in tears and will once again establish Soderbergh as a great director. With it’s intense cast, hard-pounding script, clear camera work by Soderbergh, careful and detailed editing by Stephen Mirrione, and a sad but sweet harmonic score by Thomas Newman, this is a film that’s sure to sweep the Oscars in June.

For Your Consideration

Best Picture
Best Director – Steven Soderbergh
Best Actor in a Leading Role – Joaquin Phoenix
Best Actress in a Leading Role – Bahar Soomekh
Best Actor in a Supporting Role – Wes Bentley
Best Actress in a Supporting Role – Zooey Deschanel
Best Actress in a Supporting Role – Rhiannon Leigh Wryn
Best Original Screenplay