Away From Her Movie Review
Julie Christie, Gordon Pinsent, Olympia Dukakis; Directed by Sarah Polley
Away From Her is the heartbreaking story of Grant and Fiona Andersen, an aging couple who are forced into the cruel frustrations and loneliness of Alzheimer's disease. When we first meet the couple, we watch as the pair finish up doing the dishes. Grant dries a frying pan, and then hands it to Fiona. She promptly turns, and we watch as a perplexed shadow passes across her face. She then strides over to the refrigerator, opens the freezer door, places the frying pan inside, then walks away as if nothing out of the ordinary has happened. Grant watches this quietly, and then goes to the freezer to retrieve the pan and put it into its proper place. The next day, Grant finds that all of the cupboards have been labeled with sticky notes.
This is not a film that takes its time showing us how these lovers met, fell in love, and then spent the next forty or so years crying and laughing together. We meet them near the end, and we meet them at a time when they both know that it is coming. When she catches herself slipping up, Fiona is quick to admit (with a chuckle) that she is losing her mind. Her dignity and grace (apparent all the more as the role is being played by one of the most dignified and graceful actresses of all time), keeps a sad smile on her face for her husband. When they begin to talk about sending her away to a nursing home, Grant puts it off. When she persists, he tells her that if they speak about it, then they must do so as if it is something that will be merely temporary. She agrees, though they both know the truth.
When they finally find themselves in the parking lot, and Fiona has mustered her last brave smile before going to check in, Grant begs her not to go. But of course, they both know she must. Then begins the grueling psychological shakeup and breakdown of both of our heroes. Because the nursing home imposes a strict 30-day settling in period for their patients which will allow no time for any visitors, Grant returns to the home on day 31 to find that the luminous, energetic, adoring love of his life now has absolutely no idea who he is. Worse, it seems that she has attached herself to one of the home's fellow residents, a mute man named Aubrey. Grant no longer knows what to think, and his thoughts begin to spiral from "Is she pretending all of this in order to punish me for past wrongs" to "Are they sleeping together?". These are times of testing, and when Grant goes to visit Aubrey's emotionally drained wife, life gets far more complicated.
This film was so depressing, but also one of the most thought-provoking I've seen. It really begs its viewer to start thinking ahead to what their own future might hold in the way of mental deterioration. How would we react? Would we, as one of the home's nursing attendants confides, prefer to be the one on the inside rather than the outside? Would the purest forms of true love be enough to hold us steady and faithful through something like this? Leads Julie Christie and Gordon Pinsent are remarkable, both separate and together. It is fascinating (and rare) to see a love story centered around a couple who have both passed the 60-year-old mark. These two people who have managed to stay together for so long, and are evidently still so much in love with one another, is inspiring and uplifting. It makes the film at once easier and more difficult to watch. It's a painful film, but could very well be considered a healing one as well.
Grading:
Story = A
Originality = A
DVD Features = C
Acting = A
Enjoyability = B+
Visuals = B+
Overall = B+
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