Away from Her
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Movie Reviews of Away from Her
Movie Review: Polley's directorial debut and Pinsent's performance place AWAY FROM HER very close to your heart
Summary: 5 Stars
Polley's directorial debut and Pinsent's performance place AWAY FROM HER very close to your heart
When Grant watches his wife of 45 years,Fiona, clean up after dinner and put the frying pan into the refrigerator without a thought of impropriety,or when she offers wine at a dinner party and she cannot remember the word "wine",he realizes that what he has been watching all along has been the early onset of Alzheimer's Disease.The couple eventually make a much bantered about decision to enter Fiona at Meadowlake Private Facility for a period of thirty days where neither will see each other.This seems almost too much to bear.On the way to the Facility, Fiona wants to talk about their past alluding to Grant's indiscretions with women early on in their marriage.Fiona knows that her short term memory will go rapidly,but that the long term will stay with her for a while.This shocks Grant
,but he allows it to pass in secret shame.They reach the Care facility and upon checking in,Fiona asks that Grant and she make love one last time then him leave.Within thirty days of the first allowed visit,Grant returns to a woman who no longer recognizes him; or does she and is she pretending?
Grant questions whether Fiona is faking and punishing him.Even before the decision to come to Meadowlake, Fiona shows a hint of playfulness when upon Grant's mentioning of Meadowlake, Fiona dead pan replies "Where?".Such is the dilemma faced by Grant as he continually visits Fiona and sees her possibly having already slipped away from him.In fact,Fiona seems to have found a "love interest" in another patient,Aubrey, whom Fiona regales as a thwarted beau from her teen years in her Grandparent's Store. Could that be a truth of her long term memory,is she delusional,or is Fiona secretly lying? Grant even seeks out Aubrey's wife,Marian,(an ever saucy Olympia Dukakis), about this,but she is unable to confirm anything as she states "I did not grow up here." Just like the book, even the ending of this film keeps one guessing and leaves much open to interpretation.That Alzheimer's IS progressing, though, is never in doubt and the effects are debilitating.
AWAY FROM HER is a marvel of a film from Canadian actress Sarah Polley in her directorial debut-and what a debut it is.This film is so maturely and sensitively crafted that where does this woman go from here? Faithful to the Alice Munro story THE BEAR CAME OVER THE MOUNTAIN, Polley keeps this film always focused squarely on Grant, magnificently rendered by the amazingly competent Gordon Pinsent, as the caregiver who is left behind by Fiona,in a rare performance by Julie Christie.Polley keeps this film from ever becoming heavy handed as bits of humour and outside characters are injected at stategic points in order to keep from descending into depths of maudlin.Though alot is learned about the ravages of Alzheimer's, this film is concerned more with the hardship of the caregiver.As the caregiver, Gordon Pinsent understatedly steals this movie and runs away with it in a truly outstanding performance.As marvelous as the rest of the cast is, this is Pinsent's tour-de-force.
Other companion films on Alzheimer's would be IRIS,THE FORGETTING,THE NOTEBOOK and A SONG FOR MARTIN.AWAY FROM HER was filmed in Canada and is rated PG-13.
Movie Review: How Many of Us Would Settle for What We Eventually Get?
Summary: 5 Stars
There is a line from YOU CAN'T TAKE IT WITH YOU in which Grandpa asks:
"How many of us, when we're young, would settle for what we eventually get?"
What is extraordinary about Julie Christie's performance in this film is that Fiona settles for, and builds upon, what life deals her with a level of emotional discipline half inspiring, half maddening to her husband.
As the husband, Gordon Pinsent delivers a performance as racked with confusion, pain and nuance as any I have seen in movies for years. The complexity of his character is as enigmatic as Fiona's. Together, their love story provides hope for anyone who has stopped believing in love.
While this film sheds light on Fiona's descent into Alzheimer's disease, the film is neither about dementia nor is it about the hopelessness that often surrounds it. It is about the unexpected storms that overtake relationships and the ways in which two good people come to grips with disruption. For Alice Munro, whose story provides the basis of the screenplay, love is riddled with extraordinary pain, but it often conquers the odds.
Gorgeous nature cinematography is a character in the film. In the opening scene, as in occasional scenes after, the lovers cross-country ski across frozen landscapes suffused with an Alpine glow. They are at peace, saying few words but sharing what could never be spoken.
The scene in which Fiona, sensing her decline into dementia, becomes momentarily lost -- only to become a snow angel, suggests that even early dementia has its respite.
Thre were a number of minor issues that troubled me. Julie Christie's American/Canadian accent wasn't persuasive at the start. The example the director uses to objectify early dementia -- putting an object to be refrigerated into a cabinet -- is too common to be considered aberrant.
The nurse overseeing Fiona's unit delves a to deeply into the history of the couple, more than is believable. In turn, the nursing home admin is just a too evil to fit into the world we know. Many administrators are kind but impotent. Some rage against the undue influence of physicians over their nurses prevails.
Love scenes between unlikely bedfellows seem superfluous here, even though they can and do occur in "real life."
The final scene, which I will not disclose, is worth the trip. It summarizes, in brief, passionate strokes, what love is, and it does so in terms which are fallible but filled with character.
This very young, gifted director has delivered a poignnt film. It should be required viewing for anyone entering the helping professions, but also the betrothed.
In today's prurient terms, love is not what "they" think, nor it it what most of us think. The director has taken great pains to reveal truths in a manner both restrained and dignified.
AWAY FROM HER may be one the best films of the year. And Gordon Pinsent delivers an incredible performance -- which brought tears to my eyes more than once.
I'd grant five easy stars, even though the DVD release appears to have been redited from the theatrical version. The redited version, while marginally weaker, still comes close to perfection.
Movie Review: Heartbreaking.
Summary: 5 Stars
Twenty-seven year old Sarah Polley has written and directed "Away from Her," based on a short story by Canadian author Alice Munro. This deeply moving film traces the final stages of a marriage that has lasted for over four decades. Fiona and Grant Andersson live in a beautiful home in Canada, and on the surface they seem like a perfect couple. However, Fiona has begun to develop symptoms of Alzheimer's disease. As time passes, she wanders off, misplaces things, and has memory lapses that increase in severity. Fiona is aware of her condition and she and her husband reluctantly decide that she should move into Meadowbrook, an upscale facility that caters to patients suffering from varying degrees of dementia. Grant, who in his youth was a philanderer, is guilt-ridden and devastated; he fears that he is about to lose his beloved wife forever. However, Fiona courageously accepts the inevitable and urges her husband to do the same.
Canadian actor Gordon Pinsent is amazing as an aging spouse who stands by helplessly while his wife slowly disappears from his life. He is consumed with jealously when Fiona forms a close bond in Meadowbrook with a fellow resident, Aubrey, played without words by the expressive veteran actor, Michael Murphy. In a moment of lucidity, Fiona explains to Grant that Aubrey doesn't confuse her by expecting her to remember things. Julie Christie should be an Oscar contender for her indelible performance as a woman whose beauty and understanding has deepened with age, but who unfortunately, is experiencing frightening and irrevocable mental deterioration. Her luminous blue eyes and marvelous smile light up Christie's magnificent face. Sadly, as her memory fades and she loses her reason for living, Fiona becomes increasingly despondent and lost. The scenes between Christie and Pinsent are master classes in understated acting. Polley wisely steps back and gives her characters the space they need to fully inhabit their roles.
Olympia Dukakis is perfect as Marian, Aubrey's wife and sole companion. She is a cynical but realistic woman who cannot afford to keep her husband in Meadowbrook indefinitely. When a bewildered Grant visits Marian to discuss Fiona's relationship with Aubrey, Marian dismisses him at first, but she eventually decides that she must reach out to someone or she will wither away emotionally. In a key supporting role, Kristen Thomson portrays a perky and compassionate nurse whose advice and support help Grant adjust to the unsettling changes in his life. Wendy Crewson is a condescending and officious bureaucrat who runs Meadowbrook with a plastered-on smile and a kindergarten teacher's voice. Cinematographer Luc Montpelier makes the most of the beautiful Ontario landscape and his close-ups lend an air of intimacy to every scene. "Away from Her" will bring tears to the eyes of anyone who has lost a loved one to Alzheimer's. It is a restrained and touching film about imperfect people trying their best to confront tragedy with grace and dignity.
Movie Review: Away From Each Other
Summary: 5 Stars
Sarah Polley was an exceptional Canadian child actress. At the wise old age of twenty-seven she has matured and made a skilled feature film debut.
"Away From Her" joins Fiona and Grant Anderson after fifty years of marriage. Fiona, played by Julie Christie in a way that makes her character vulnerable, but desirable, is advancing into the mental greyness of Alzheimer's. Grant, played by Canadian treasure Gordon Pinsent as a man who loves Fiona, but earned the lines on his face and carries regrets about some of the things in his past with Fiona.
Fiona doesn't want Grant to see her progression into dementia, and she doesn't want to be a burden. She decides to go to one of those places. They're taken aback (as a viewer I was too) when they discover that the policy of the facility is for the new resident to not receive any family contact for a month.
Fiona's condition seemed to be limited to forgetting "little things" prior to the admission. When Grant returns she looks at him as if she were looking at a stranger on a subway she thought she knew long ago.
Although their screen time seemed about even, I identified more with Grant, perhaps because of being a man myself, but I think even more because the further Fiona goes away, the less insight we have into her character. Pinsent is absolutely superb in his part - his words are soothing and experienced, and we see the hurt in his face as he can see Fiona right in front of him, but realizes that the Fiona he knew and loved for decades is no longer there. There is even a moment when we see Gordon wonders if Fiona is giving him a little extra cold shoulder because of a past wrong.
Michael Murphy plays the mute Aubrey, another resident at the facility. Fiona freely gives her attention to Aubrey while occasionally looking at Gordon as if he were a crossing guard. Olympia Dukakis does her usual excellent work as Marian, Aubrey's husband, and it makes sense that Gordon and Marian should bond a little, although I always sensed that his friendship with Marian paled in comparison to his memories of his earlier life with Fiona.
Kristen Thomson deserves mention for her role as a nurse at the facility. Nurse Kristy cares for her patients, and she cares for the families and loved ones as well. She knows about the inner turmoil that churns in the minds of the families, and she knows how the past colors the perceptions of the present.
This is a wise movie, adapted from Alice Munro's short story. Roger Ebert ends his review: "Sarah Polley emerges here as a director who is in calm command of almost impossible material. The movie says as much for her strength of character as for her skills. Anyone who could read Munro's original story and think they could make a film of it, and then make a great film, deserves a certain awe."
Movie Review: Don't Let This One Slip Away
Summary: 5 Stars
I thought Sarah Polley was wonderful in "My Life Without Me," a splendid and unusual "small" movie. But when I learned she wrote the screenplay for "Away From Her," using an Alice Munro story as the foundation, and directed it - I was stunned. That's because the overriding quality of this movie's style is confidence, and Polley is young and a first-time director. There are no cheap devices to move things along, no mawkish manipulations of sentiment, AFH proceeds at a calm, deliberate pace that is absolutely perfect for its subject matter. Not much is known about Alzheimer's, but this much is clear, the erosion of memory and identity occurs on a timetable unique to the individual - and loved ones are powerless to intercede.
There is little plot to this picture. Fiona and Grant have been married for 40 years and still love one another. Fiona, Julie Christie, is swiftly moving along into dementia, the film begins with her cheerfully putting a frying plan into the freezer. Grant, who feels guilt for past philandering, wants desperately to help but also must deal with his emerging loneliness and grief. Fiona is far more prepared for this transition than Grant is, and takes to life in her specialized care facility almost too readily, developing a nurturing fixation for Aubrey, and forgetting Grant altogether. Is this partially revenge on her part? Is she throwing herself into dementia to pay Grant back for wrongs of the past? We don't know. Sarah Polley has the courage to tell the story, and leave the speculation to us. The story in itself has more than enough grit to carry the day.
Julie Christie, a great beauty and excellent actress, has never been better; this is an absolute showcase for her. There is wisdom and sadness in every breath, but more, acceptance and serenity that far outstrips mere happiness. Amazing work. Gordon Pinsent, as Grant, (a veteran of over 100 films), is deeply compelling, echoing the notion that illness of this sort is always harder on the loved ones than the patient who can slip into madness like a comforting bath. His interactions with Marian, (Aubrey's wife), played by Olympia Dukakis, and Nurse Kristy, Kristen Thomson, are spellbinding. Both women are compassionate but also very clear-eyed about reality. Grant learns much that he needs to learn from them, and we do too. Dukakis and Thomson are exceptionally good.
A relationship that has endured for 40 years, surviving infidelity and strains of every description, is a castle built on shared experience. Fiona is happy with the life she's led, but she also understands that she's leaving it for good. Grant is not so willing to watch that castle vanish, because without Fiona at his side to share the memories, who knows if they're real at all? An exemplary film made even stronger by its complete lack of sentimentality.