Away from Her
Year: 2006
Film Studio: Lionsgate, The Film Farm, Foundry Films
Genre: Romance, Drama
Length: 110 Min.
DirectorSarah Polley (1979)
WritingSarah Polley (1979)...Written By
Alice Munro (1931)...Short Story "The Bear Came Over The Moun
ProducerAtom Egoyan (1960)
Victoria Hirst
Daniel Iron
Doug Mankoff
Simone Urdl
Jennifer Weiss
CinematographerLuc Montpellier
MusicJonathan Goldsmith...Composer
StarsGordon Pinsent (1930) as Grant Anderson
Stacey LaBerge as Young Fiona
Julie Christie (1941) as Fiona Anderson
Olympia Dukakis (1931) as Marian
Deanna Dezmari (1979) as Veronica
Clare Coulter (1942) as Phoebe Hart
Thomas Hauff as William Hart
Alberta Watson (1955) as Dr. Fischer
Review We have all heard the phrase
‘feel good movie’; well let me tell you right from the start,
Away From Her is not one of these. It sadly details the anguish and pain of watching your spouse slowly slip into the dementia that is Alzheimer’s disease. Julie Christie stars as Fiona Anderson, a sixty something woman who is having problems remembering the smallest details of her day to day life. Her husband Grant (Gordon Pinsent) is at a loss to understand what is happening to his one time sharp and effervescent wife. When Fiona is unable to find her way back to the home they have shared for many years and is found by Grant walking along a bridge in town, they decide to seek a medical explanation for the change in her. Fiona is quick to accept the fate that awaits her, but Grant cannot coalesce with her in the decision that maybe it is time for Fiona to move to an assisted living center for people suffering from the same affliction.
It is through Grant’s eyes that we witness the pain and suffering involved with watching a loved one slowly slip away from you and the memories you both shared. Through it all, Grant remains steadfast in his belief that Fiona will eventually slip out of it, and return to the vibrant young woman he fell in love with many decades ago. His denial is painful to watch, but it is a moving testament to the reality that we would all tread down this most frustrating of paths. As time passes, and Fiona attaches herself to an old acquaintance who is also suffering from the disease, Grant finally resides himself to the fact that even though she doesn’t remember him, she is at least happy.
Julie Christie would be nominated for an Academy Award for her performance as Fiona, but for my money, it was Gordon Pinsent who should have gotten the nomination. His stoic and reserved performance is never for a moment cloying or maudlin, and leaves you with a sense of understanding to the situation that he is dealing with on a daily basis. If you are into films that dwell on the depressing nature of human illness such as Akira Kurosawa’s
Ikiru or Alejandro Amenábar’s
The Sea Inside, then
Away From Her will make for a most thought provoking evening. But if you’re into those
‘feel good’ kind of flicks, then I would definitely steer clear of this film.
Review Criterion
- The pinnacle of film perfection and excellence.
- Not quite an immortal film, yet a masterpiece in its own right.
- Historically important film, considered a classic.
- An entertaining film that’s fun or engaging to watch.
– A good film that’s worth a Netflix venture.
- Borderline viewable.
– A bad film that may have a moment of interest.
– Insipid, trite and sophomoric, and that's its good points.
– A film so vacuous, it will suck 2 hours from the remainder of your life.
- A gangrenous and festering pustule in the chronicles of celluloid.
