Directed by Derek Shane Garcia, A/Way follows the personal journey of travel journalist Anna Gallo as she searches for meaning and clarity after her mother’s passing. Set against the lush backdrop of Martinique, the film weaves together real interviews with locals and a fictional narrative of self-discovery.
After the death of her mother, travel journalist Anna Gallo travels to Martinique on assignment, hoping to find clarity and direction in her life. She proposes to her editor that she conduct interviews with the locals and write a story about the people, rather than a typical piece about the sights and food. Her editor resists this approach, but Anna simply doesn’t care. As she interviews locals and explores the island, Anna begins to shift the focus of her work away from traditional travel writing toward the deeper, more personal stories of the people she meets.
From here, the story shifts back and forth from New York to Martinique. In New York, she remembers an afternoon playing piano with her mother. She remembers Geoff, a fellow student, who offered to help her study for a particular professor. Then, a friend of Anna’s mother gives her the journal her mother had kept, which she reads while in Martinique.
Anna’s experiences in Martinique culminate in moments of creativity, spontaneity, and vulnerability, such as participating in art workshops and dance sessions with locals. These one-on-one encounters, along with the personal insights she gains from her mother’s writings, cause Anna to reevaluate her life and consider a new perspective on her future.
Rosie McDonald as Anna Gallo engages with a local artist in A/Way, exploring creativity and connection in Martinique.
“Anna begins to shift the focus of her work… toward the deeper, more personal stories”
Truth be told, I find myself enamored with A/Way. It’s essentially a young woman’s mid-life crisis, and I kind of want to go on a similar journey as Anna. Living in the big city can become overwhelming over time. You’re always on the move, always with something to do. There’s something to be said about leaving the city for the solitude of nature. Swimming aimlessly in a river, learning to surf, and trying your hand at a new hobby.
A/Way reminds me of the old Harold structure we used in my improv classes. As director Derek Shane Garcia interviews the real locals of Martinique, their authentic stories—of coming home, living on a farm, or simply enjoying the waves—are woven into the fictional narrative of Anna’s past. It’s an audacious way to tell a story.
This experimental form of storytelling enables us, as an audience, to immediately identify with Anna’s plight. “It’s not just that Anna is experiencing an existential crisis—it’s that she prompts us to step back and consider the direction of our own lives. Most of us have too much responsibility to be able to pack it up and head to the country…but it’s fun to think about it.
Rosie McDonald serves as the ideal bridge between the audience and a world just out of reach. Her performance is effortlessly natural, never forced or overstated. She brings an easy charm to Anna’s fast-paced New York persona while also capturing the quiet rhythm and grounded beauty of life in Martinique.
A/Way leaves you feeling like you’ve just awakened from a peaceful dream—the kind that lingers for hours after you open your eyes. Rosie McDonald grounds the story with a performance that is both subtle and emotionally resonant, serving as our surrogate into a world where we pause long enough to listen. A/Way is a dream we all wish we could live when we close our eyes at night.
"…Most of us have too much responsibility...but it's fun to think about it."
