THE YEAR BETWEEN – Review by Nadine Whitney

For a debut film The Year Between is a gem, but beyond the fact it is Heller’s first feature, the movie stands on its own as an accomplished piece about how infuriating it can be to be mentally ill. The Year Between is witty, authentic, and ultimately kind to almost every character in Clemence’s orbit, including Clemence herself. Clemence may not feel like she has any dignity and often acts in a manner that actively undermines whatever dignity she may have, but Heller skilfully sees that sometimes just doing your best to make it through is good enough and that in that there is grace and, if you’re lucky, love.

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TWO WAYS HOME – Review by Diane Carson

In Two Ways Home, director Ron Vignone addresses a prevalent, persistent issue. How does a bipolar individual, working toward self-respect, gain understanding, much less acceptance, by people unfamiliar with the condition? Add to this challenge a young woman, identified only as Kathy, recently released from prison and now returning to her rural Iowa home and hostile relatives, including her very angry twelve-year-old daughter Cori.

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