Tribeca Interview: Director Deb Shoval And Lola Kirke Talk 'AWOL,' Authentic Locations, Building A Love Story, And More

The Tribeca Film Festival wrapped up this weekend, and we’ve caught quite a few great films at the fest this year. One of our favorites was “AWOL,” from Deb Shoval, making her directorial feature debut. The film stars Lola Kirke as Joey, a young woman from a small, economically depressed town in Pennsylvania, who has dreams of escaping for a better life through the Army. Her plans get complicated when she becomes entangled in a torrid love affair with the married mom of two, Rayna (Breeda Wool), which lead to life changing decisions. Our review called the film an “arresting love story,” that’s “thematically rich, and confidently directed with a clear point of view, set against a backdrop of relevant socioeconomic and cultural issues.”

We had a chance to sit down with director Shoval and star Kirke during the festival to talk about the film, including an exploration of the characters’ internal motivations, the cultural background that informs the love story, and their future plans....