The Year Between

In her sophomore year at college, Clemence Miller (Heller) has alienated everyone with her erratic behavior. After incurring a manic bout of bullying, her miserable roommate, Eliza (Blim), notifies the administration and her craft store proprietress mother, Sherri (Smith-Cameron), of Clemence's disparaging attitude and mood swings. This prompts Sherri to wrangle her daughter into quitting school and compel her to begrudgingly return home, whereupon she discovers her old bedroom has been converted into a home office. Instead, she'll be "banished" to the furnished basement.

Upon visiting a psychiatrist (Buck), Clemence is diagnosed with bipolar disorder and is prescribed a regimen of medication beginning with lithium to balance her oscillating mania and depression episodes, which will require experimental adjustments. Initially, she is defiant and reluctant; however, an exasperated Sherri encourages her.

Meanwhile, she receives a tepid welcome from the rest of the family. Her father, local schoolteacher Don (Buscemi), attempts to be relentlessly positive, while her younger siblings are far less enthused. Her sister, Carlin (Robinson), fears Clemence's attributes will be imparted unto her, and thus strives to achieve high ACT scores to prevent this. Her brother, Neil (Oleff), is trepidatious about being absorbed into Clemence's unstable orbit, and retains an ambivalent attitude when in her presence.

Undeterred, Clemence begins attending sessions with a psychologist (Odom) and lands a job part-time at a thrift store. She forges a strained connection with co-worker Beth (Simone), and manages to stay sober from alcohol and illicit drugs. However, upon reconnecting with erstwhile partying pal, Ashik (Jacob), Clemence begins to jeopardize her progress and runs the risk of losing what little support she has left.

{{div col|colwidth=20em}}

• Alex Heller as Clemence Miller
• J. Smith-Cameron as Sherri Miller
• Steve Buscemi as Don Miller
• Wyatt Oleff as Neil Miller
• Emily Robinson as Carlin Miller
• Kyanna Simone as Beth
• Rajeev Jacob as Ashik
• Waltrudis Buck as Dr. Lismoen
• Jon Hudson Odom as Dr. Madzen
• Taylor Marie Blim as Eliza
• Anne Hollister as Ginger
• David Brown as Mikael

{{div col end}}

The Year Between had its world premiere at the Tribeca Festival on June 12, 2022.{{cite web|url=https://www.levelforward.co/projects/the-year-between|last=Domnitz|first=Liza|access-date=August 8, 2023|title=Projects • The Year Between|website=Level Forward}} Heller's film was amongst those nominated for Best U.S. Narrative Feature at that year's event,{{cite web|url=https://tribecafilm.com/press-center/festival/press-releases/tribeca-festival-announces-2022-feature-and-short-film-lineup|access-date=August 7, 2023|date=April 19, 2022|title=TRIBECA FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES 2022 FEATURE AND SHORT FILM LINEUP|website=TribecaFilm.com}} although it ultimately lost out to Good Girl Jane.{{cite web|title=2022 Tribeca Film Festival Winners Announced|url=https://awardsradar.com/2022/06/16/2022-tribeca-festival-winners-announced/amp/|website=Awards Radar|access-date=August 7, 2022|first=Maxance|last=Vincent|date=June 16, 2022}}

The film then screened at the Nashville Film Festival on October 1, 2022.{{cite web|url=https://nashfilmfest.eventive.org/films/62d972d358800f0029bc66e6|title=New Director Features – The Year Between|access-date=August 7, 2023|website=Eventive}} At that event, Heller was awarded the Grand Jury Prize for Best New Directors Feature, marking her first win for this film.{{cite web|url=https://nashvillefilmfestival.org/2022-competition-winners/|website=NashvilleFilmFestival.org|title=Nashville Film Festival 2022 Competition Winners|date=October 5, 2022|access-date=August 7, 2023}}

On October 16, 2022, the film was screened at the Chicago International Film Festival.{{cite web|url=https://www.chicagofilmfestival.com/event/the-year-between-2/|access-date=August 7, 2023|website=ChicagoFilmFestival.com|title=Screening: The Year Between}} Alongside Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery in a tie, the two films were the recipients of the Audience Choice Award for Best Feature, presented by Xfinity.{{cite web|url=https://www.chicagofilmfestival.com/festival/festival-award-winners/|title=58th Annual Chicago International Film Festival Award Winners|date=October 23, 2022|access-date=August 7, 2023|website=ChicagoFilmFestival.com}}

On March 3, 2023, Gravitas Ventures distributed the film in the United States and Canada in select theaters.{{cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/gravitas-ventures-takes-north-american-rights-the-year-between-1235317024/amp/|website=The Hollywood Reporter|access-date=August 7, 2023|first=Mia|last=Galuppo|date=February 3, 2023|title=Gravitas Ventures Takes North American Rights to 'The Year Between'}} It was simultaneously made available through VOD, on the streaming platforms Peacock and Hoopla.{{cite web|url=https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/the-year-between|website=JustWatch|access-date=August 8, 2023|title=The Year Between}}

The film was also screened at the Cleveland International Film Festival on March 23, 2023,{{cite web|last=Feil|first=Chris|access-date=August 8, 2023|website=ClevelandFilm.org|title=The Year Between (2022)|url=https://www.clevelandfilm.org/films/the-year-between#}} where it was nominated for the American Independents Competition. Heller was also a nominee for the Reel Women Direct Award for Excellence in Directing by a Woman. However, the latter award went to Christine Yoo for 26.2 to Life, while the former was won by Playing Through from Balbinka Korzeniowska.{{cite web|title=47TH CLEVELAND INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL AWARD WINNERS|website=ClevelandFilm.org|first=Debby|last=Samples|date=April 2, 2023|access-date=August 7, 2023|url=https://www.clevelandfilm.org/news/ciff47-award-winners-news-release}}

{{Rotten Tomatoes prose|80|6.9|15|consensus=|access-date=August 24, 2023|ref=y}} {{Metacritic film prose|61|four|ref=yes|access-date=August 24, 2023}}

Mike McGranaghan of The Aisle Seat wrote, "A personal pet peeve is movies that use mental illness as a “quirky” personality trait for their central characters....The Year Between deftly avoids all that. This is one of the most authentic depictions of bipolar disorder I've seen."{{cite web|date=October 5, 2022|access-date=August 8, 2023|first=Mike|last=McGranaghan|website=The Aisle Seat|title=The Year Between [Nashville Film Festival Review]|url=https://aisleseat.com/year-between.html}} Dennis Harvey from Variety is equally effusive, praising Heller for maintaining a tonal balance of the subject matter: "The result is a useful mix of the pseudo-random and finely honed that refuses to hand-wring over Clem’s travails, yet simultaneously makes an upbeat case for her emerging from them intact — even if she’ll never exactly be Miss Congeniality." He also lauds the performances from the cast, and stated, "[The characters are] all amusing, yet free of caricature, and the prickly dynamics between them feel tart without being cynical."{{cite web|title=The Year Between Review: Alex Heller Dedicates a Gap Year to Bipolar Disorder in Well-Balanced Indie|first=Dennis|last=Harvey|website=Variety|date=March 1, 2023|access-date=August 8, 2023|url=https://variety.com/2023/film/reviews/the-year-between-review-alex-heller-1235539041/}}

Nick Allen, a critic at RogerEbert.com, wrote in his 3½/4-star review, that "Alex Heller pulls off a dazzling tonal high-wire act for her directorial debut"; compliments the film's dialogue as "naturally, wildly funny, without sugarcoating the issues it embraces"; and concludes, "…that a daring dramedy like this can be made, and tactfully.…It's proof of a major talent."{{cite web|first=Nick|last=Allen|date=March 3, 2023|access-date=August 8, 2023|website=RogerEbert.com|title=Reviews: The Year Between|url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-year-between-movie-review-2023}} Steven Warner of In Review Online praised Buscemi and Smith-Cameron, both of whom he stated "have arguably never delivered a bad performance in their entire careers".{{cite web|website=In Review Online|url=https://inreviewonline.com/2022/06/20/the-year-between/|title=The Year Between — Alex Heller|date=June 20, 2022|access-date=August 8, 2022|last=Warner|first=Steven}}

Rendy Jones of Rendy Reviews had a mixed reception to the film, rating it 2½/5 stars. Jones applauded Heller's "deadpan charisma"; alluded to her having "chemistry with her co-stars", especially for her acting debut; and particularly complimenting the acting ensemble of Smith-Cameron, Buscemi, Robinson, and Oleff (who portray her mom, dad, sister, and brother, respectively). On the flipside, Jones had a bad reaction to the "deplorably crass main character" and took umbrage with the screenplay, evoking unfavorable comparisons to Lady Bird (2017). He felt it was "too formulaic…reminiscent of Judd Apatow's slacker comedies".{{cite web|title='The Year Between' Review: Alex Heller's Debut Feature Plays Bipolar By The Numbers ~ Tribeca 2022|access-date=August 8, 2023|url=https://www.rendyreviews.com/movie-reviews/the-year-between-review|first=Rendy|last=Jones|date=June 25, 2022|website=Rendy Reviews}} In a more scathingly negative review, Carla Hay of Culture Mix lambasts the character of Clemence, calling her an "emotional terrorist", and summarizing, "The misguided comedy/drama “The Year Between” is an irritating slog that offensively uses bipolar disorder as an excuse for the central character to be cruel and toxic to everyone around her."{{cite web|website=Culture Mix Online|url=https://culturemixonline.com/review-the-year-between-starring-alex-heller/|title=REVIEW: 'THE YEAR BETWEEN,' STARRING ALEX HELLER|last=Hay|first=Carla|date=July 2, 2022|access-date=August 8, 2023}}

{{Awards table|5}}

|-

| rowspan="3" style="text-align:center; | 2022

| style="text-align:center; | Tribeca Festival

| style="text-align:center; | Founders Award — Best U.S. Narrative Feature

| rowspan="5" style="text-align:center; | Alex Heller

| {{nominated}}

|

|-

| style="text-align:center; | Nashville Film Festival

| style="text-align:center; | Grand Jury Prize — Best New Directors Feature

| {{won}}

|

|-

| style="text-align:center; | Chicago International Film Festival

| style="text-align:center; | Audience Choice Award — Best Feature (TIE) (with Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery)

| {{won}}

|

|-

| rowspan="2" style="text-align:center; | 2023

| rowspan="2" style="text-align:center; | Cleveland International Film Festival

| style="text-align:center; | Reel Women Direct Award

| {{nominated}}

| rowspan="2" |

|-

| style="text-align:center; | American Independents Competition

| {{nominated}}

|-

{{end}}

{{reflist}}

• {{Official website|https://www.theyearbetweenfilm.com}}
• {{IMDb title}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Year Between, The}}

Category:2022 films

Category:2022 independent films

Category:2022 directorial debut films

Category:American black comedy films

Category:Films set in Illinois

Category:Films about dysfunctional families

Category:Films about mental health

Category:Films about bipolar disorder

Category:Films about drug use in the United States