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One of the best documentaries from 2009's South by Southwest Film Festival was Aron Gaudet's The Way We Get By. It tells the story of a group of senior citizens who make a regular habit of being the greeters and well-wishers of our troops headed off to (and returning home from) the Middle East. Bill Knight, Joan Gaudet and Jerry Mundy are amongst those shaking the hands of our brave soldiers and reminding them that someone is thinking of them as they head in and out of danger. More than that, though, Gaudet's film is a tribute to the old folks as well, a group of citizens that, like our protectors, occasionally exist as a faceless void on the radar of the decision makers. The DVD is available to own as we speak (and via iTunes as well), but the filmmakers are asking for your help to make this special film even better.

The Way We Get By

Directed by: Aron Gaudet

Cast: Bill Knight, Joan Gaudet, Jerry Mundy

Running Time: 1 hr 25 mins

Rating: Unrated

Release Date: October 23, 2009

Plot: Three senior citizens greet armed services members as the deploy out to and return from combat zones overseas. The Way We Get By follows their work as greeters and their personal lives.

Who’S It For? Although it’s ostensibly about military personnel, the film also deals with mortality and loneliness. Expect an interesting, multifaceted documentary.

Expectations: I’d seen a preview for this film at some point so I was expecting a kind of feel good movie about older people connecting with veterans.

Scorecard (0-10)

Actors:

Bill Knight as Bill: Bill’s actually a WWII vet who views greeting the troops as his duty. He’s not political, no one in this film is, he just wants the men and women who go...