Away From Her Review
by Jonathan Moya (jjmoya1955 AT yahoo DOT com)October 3rd, 2007
Away From Her (2006)
A movie review by Jonathan Moya
Rating: A-
The Review:
Any movie about Alzheimer's should get the pain of forgetting right, especially one based on a short story by Alice Munro. Only the remarkable ones can do justice to the pain of remembering. In Away From Her Julie Christie (making an effervescent return with her first leading role in ten years) has the easy role. She merely has to mistakenly put a frying pan in the fridge, forget a few words here and there, get lost hiking in the snow and end up on a causeway bridge, then quietly check herself into an assisted-living facility and have a platonic sort of second marriage with a catatonic mute she use to know in high school. Christie gives the subtle, dignified star turn that usually earns nominations. "A little bit of grace" is what Julie Christie can never deny a good character-- and Fiona is a great one created by an authoress with a masterly knowledge of the power of indirectness. Fiona's husband, Grant (Gordon Pinsent in an amazing portrait of compassionate intelligence) is the real victim of Alzheimer's. Grant must bear twice the memories and pain as their more than forty year marriage dissolves to eternal abstraction in Fiona's mind. Grant's final act of benevolence to Fiona is both the ultimate act of love and the culmination of everything he is as a man. Olympia Dukakis as a fellow Alzheimer's victim provides additional generous support. First time director Sarah Polley has created a wonderful love story that is true and generously heartfelt.
The Credits:
Directed by Sarah Polley; written by Ms. Polley, based on the short story "The Bear Came Over the Mountain" by Alice Munro; director of photography, Luc Montpellier; edited by David Wharnsby; music by Jonathan Goldsmith; production designer, Kathleen Climie; produced by Daniel Iron, Simone Urdl and Jennifer Weiss; released by Lionsgate. Running time: 110 minutes.
WITH: Julie Christie (Fiona), Gordon Pinsent (Grant), Olympia Dukakis (Marian), Kristen Thompson (Kristy), Michael Murphy (Aubrey) and Wendy Crewson (Madeleine).
"Away From Her" is rated PG-13 (Parents strongly cautioned). It has sexual references and complicated, adult situations.
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