The Way Way Back, written and directed by Jim Rash and Nat Faxon, is a film that exemplifies the hardships of merging two families and the alienation that occurs within cabin-life. It achieves this through the conflicts displayed by the characters, as well as the purposeful cinematography.
The film opens with Duncan, our main character, staring out the rear window-shield of a car. He is at the way, way back (hence, the title), away from everyone else. He faces the road they are leaving behind. This represents Duncan’s longing to be somewhere else, perhaps with someone else. He is stuck in the past, unwilling to accept what lies ahead. Though, this isn’t necessarily Duncan’s choice.
Trent, played by Steve Carrel, is the step-father (if he even deserves to be called that) to Duncan, who’s unlikable nature is displayed throughout the film. Time and time again, he lashes out at the fourteen-year-old boy, damaging an ego that already appears to be in tatters. These lashes come out in small quips muttered under Trent’s breath. They don’t appear to be overtly “harmful” per se. After all, it’s only a few words, right?
“We clean up after ourselves in this house.”
“Everybody helps out.”
“Your mom was worried.”
“Hey, Buddy, the cooler’s not gonna move itself.”
However, what’s harmful isn’t the words themselves, it’s the tone with which Trent says them; it’s the judgment evident in his eyes, the resentment laced within his demeanor. His actions show Trent’s true intentions are to push Duncan away from his mother, not to merge their two families. For example, half-way through the film, Trent forces Duncan to wear a life-jacket during a boat ride. “Just wear it, okay? So people don’t have to worry about you.” This is another tactic Trent uses to alienate Duncan. To make him feel other. Trent is resentful of Duncan’s presence, though whether or not this is due to a past trauma of his own regarding his father or a step-father is not divulged. We—the audience—are not meant to feel empathy towards Trent; we are meant to observe the story through Duncan’s eyes, something that is evident in the cinematography throughout the film.
As previously mentioned, the film opens with Duncan having been seated at the very back of the van, with Trent calling to him from the driver’s seat. The camera only shows Trent’s eyes in the rearview mirror as he tells Duncan that on a scale from one to ten, he is a three. This forces the audience to see Trent from Duncan’s perspective: intimidating. Mean. A classic bully. Right from the start, Trent is established as the “opposing force”.
The irony of Duncan’s situation is that Trent is the one acting like a child. He tells Duncan, “We clean up after ourselves in this house.” And yet, Duncan is the one who cleans up after Trent, his mom, and Trent’s friends when they spend a large majority of their summer vacation intoxicated. He is a child who’s been stuffed into the role of an adult, while the adults are acting like children.
Mirroring how it began, the film ends with Duncan returning to the way, way back of the car. Only this time, Duncan is facing the place he now considers “home”, his expression longing. Realizing her mistake, Duncan’s mother finally makes the decision to climb over the car seats and sit in the very back beside Duncan. They look at each other. Neither speaks. “I’m sorry,” his mom’s expressions seems to say. “I forgive you,” Duncan seems to say back. They both turn to stare out the rear window-shield.
Though they are facing something they are leaving behind, Duncan is no longer looking behind him. For the first time, he is looking ahead.