“It totally takes my brain and puts it on hold… it just smooths out the static.” – Katrina Del Mar
Away explores the lives of three women living in New York City. Far from typical city-dwellers, these women embrace life at the edge of the concrete jungle where the Atlantic begins. Despite the snow, traffic, and skyscrapers, the three make their way to the beaches of Rockaway to experience “wildness and unpredictability within an urban environment.”
While the three women could not be more opposite from the stereotypical California blond surfer girl, they each share a deep passion for surfing. Away showcases each woman as a unique individual: a downtown girl gangster, a young working mother, and a native Breezy Point beach girl. All reside in New York City, yet each treads a different path. However, despite their distinctive lifestyles, each finds herself drawn to the same rugged stretch of beach.
The women of Away shatter stereotypes — they are highly motivated and far from the average beach bum. However, like most surfers, these women juggle priorities and shift responsibilities to find time to make their way to the surf. Their commute via subway or trek across NYC in wetsuits appear novel. But in most ways, they face the same addiction as surfers everywhere. They must keep coming back to the waves for another challenge, another session, another swell. And they’re never satisfied.
Away was directed and produced by Elisa Bates.
