l_rawjalaurence The debut feature from talented Canadian director Sarah Polley, AWAY FROM HER is a love-story set in a care home involving Fiona Anderson (Julie Christie) and Aubrey (Michael Murphy). The plot unfolds slowly, but then Polley is very much preoccupied with the mise-en-scene. The action takes place during midwinter in the frozen wastes of Canada: the snow on the ground and the crisp winter air offer a fitting metaphor for the state of the Andersons' marriage as Fiona's husband Grant (Gordon Pinsent) comes to the realization that his wife will no longer be living full-time at home, and that their relationship is effectively over. He has little to look forward to except a cold, bleak existence alone, with only occasional visits to see his wife in the care-home.Polley is exceptionally good at capturing Fiona's gradual discovery that she has Alzheimer's. From the sequence where she puts a frying-pan into the refrigerator, to the sequence on a winter's night where she stands alone on a bridge shivering to death, we understand how her grasp of the world around her is gradually receding. Grant desperately tries to convince himself (and her) that this is a temporary condition, but Fiona herself knows precisely what is happening to her. Christie gives us a portrayal of a strong-minded woman aware of life's realities, however unpleasant they might be.The atmosphere at the care home is stunningly re-created, from the pristine walls of the corridors to the impersonal dining-room, where the residents sit quietly chatting to one another under the eyes of the staff. Madeleine Montpellier (Wendy Crewson) is the very epitome of efficiency in her black two-piece suit, giving prospective residents a guided tour of the facility while pointing out the fact that the corridors attract plenty of "natural light." The implication is clear: much of life in the facility is "unnatural" for the residents, the majority of whom simply pass away the time in miscellaneous activities, aided by artificially bright staff trying their best to make everything seem wonderful. The residents' impassive faces sum up their lives; Polley's camera captures the emptiness of their lives through slow pans of their common-rooms.In this kind of environment, any prospect of a love-affair between two residents must be applauded. However much Grant might resent his spouse's action, he cannot blame her for it. The surprise ending catches all of us by surprise, yet seems somehow right in terms of the film's earlier logic.AWAY FROM HER is a sympathetic yet uncompromising portrait of people trying to cope with Alzheimer's, that should serve as an example to us all.

saeed Choganabz AWAY FROM HER stars Julie Christie as Fiona, a woman who looks vital, regal, yet who is succumbing to Alzheimers. The progressive dementia rips apart what appears to be a storybook marriage to Grant (Gordon Pinsent, in a finely nuanced turn), a former college professor. Married for forty-four years (and childless), they spend their days cooking, taking walks, skiing, and reading to each other in their log cabin by a lake, hardly needing anyone else's company. Until, that is, Fiona starts putting freshly washed pans away in the refrigerator. And can no longer remember how to pronounce the word "wine" or what it means, even as she holds the bottle in her hand. Eventually, the last glorious 20 years they've spent together tucked away in their own private idyll are peeled away, with only the ache of older memories -- "All those sandals, Grant," Fiona says, wincing at his infidelities, "all those pretty girls" -- to keep her company. When Fiona decides to check into an assisted-living facility, it feels like, for a change, she's deserting Grant. And when she rekindles an attachment with Aubrey (Michael Murphy), a man she used to know, it feels like the ultimate abandonment.

SnoopyStyle Sarah Polley's directorial debut is an impressive one. Mostly, she was successful in picking great actors. Grant Anderson (Gordon Pinsent) is suffering as his wife Fiona (Julie Christie) slowly loses her memories. She has Alzheimer's disease and gets placed in a long term care facility.The whole movie takes place on the face of Gordon Pinsent. His pain is evident every time she can't remember him. It is truly heartbreaking. Julie Christie delivers one of her greatest performances. She doesn't overact. The confusion isn't theatrical which could so easily taken as comical. It is a quiet suffering on the scraggly old face of Pinsent. The one out of step moment is the passing old man who comments that Grant's heart is breaking into a thousand pieces. It's too obvious and too on the nose.There is something about veteran actors taking all their life experiences and putting it on the screen. It's something that can't be faked. And it can't be done with younger actors. We saw a man breaking right in front of us on the screen.

Sergeant_Tibbs The last thing I expected Away From Her to be is funny. The first section of the film has a remarkable sense of humour which really doesn't prepare you for the utterly heart-wrenching mid-section. It's truly painful to watch our protagonist watches his wife not only not recognise him but fall in love with another man. The performances make the film, Gordon Pisent is terrific but Julie Christie is astounding. However, the plot does drift a bit too often. There was far too many conversation scenes and not enough doing in the scenes that didn't involve Pisent and Christie. But it's a wise film that feels old yet spirited at heart. Unforgettable stuff.8/10