The second movie Michelle and I saw last week was Away We Go, a new film by Sam Mendes. I had absolutely no awareness of this going in, so I was pleasantly suprised to find a quirky, funny, enjoyable film.

The film follows a couple who are searching for a new place to settle down as they have no ties to the town where they are currently living. They come up with a list of friends, family and tenuous acquaintances who live in areas which interest them and spend the film visiting each in turn. It’s a road movie, of sorts, but the interest doesn’t come from the wide open countryside but the bizarre, sweet, and sometimes fucked up people that they meet.

I’d had my wisdom teeth removed literally the day before we saw the movie, but even with a mouth full of blood I was laughing along with this movie (although that may have been the codeine). The main characters are eminently likable and you really want it to work out for them, but the supporting cast really carry the humour and pathos of the film. It even has a kiwi (Melanie Lynskey) in it, so now you have to watch it!