The Way Back

Directed by Gavin O’Connor

Written by Brad Ingelsby

Rating: 🔥 That’s hot

Jack Cunningham (Ben Affleck) has seen better days. He’s a lonely alcoholic, struggling to hold the pieces of his life together in his weathered hands. But when he’s offered a chance to coach the basketball team at his high school alma mater, this unlikely road to redemption offers Jack a fresh perspective on his life and how he wants to live it.

This film achieves a level of authenticity that is not often seen in cinema. It felt like Jack was a real person and we were offered a look into his life first hand. Ben Affleck’s performance is the heartbeat of this movie. Many scenes include little to no dialogue and the audience is left to watch Affleck crush cheap beer after cheap beer in his sh*tty apartment. This monotonous and soul crushing activity feels so real it leaves you wanting to Google rehab facilities to get our boy Jack some help. In an interview with Matt Damon the lifelong friends discussed the complexity of doing a movie that is so performance driven. Essentially the movie hinges entirely on the performance of the protagonist, and it’s safe to say that Affleck knocked it out of the park.

On its surface this movie may look like a feel-good sports movie, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Sure, basketball plays an important role in the plot, but this is a movie about grief and loss. The Way Back is a raw and heartbreaking film, but its one that is definitely worth watch.

Written by Zianna Weston