Okay, I searched on BoardReader and the only reference I can find to this movie is in the Oscars threads, so I’m starting one; sorry if it’s been done already.
Summary for those who have no idea what I’m on about: Away From Her is the feature debut of director Sarah Polley, and follows an older couple (Julie Christie, Gordon Pinsent) through the wife’s development and progression of Alzheimer’s, focusing to a large degree on the husband as he tries to cope with her departure to a care home, and the fact that she appears to be forgetting who he is. I won’t go in to more detail because the story’s fairly slender (which is no bad thing).
So, not exactly laugh-a-minute stuff (in fact it’s pretty much heartbreaking from the opening scene until the credits roll), but I don’t remember being so absorbed by a film since the Straight Story (yeah, I’m a big ol’ sap when it comes to movies :)). The performances! Julie Christie - oh my good god, it’s simply impossible to look away when she’s on screen. And given the absolute wealth of mental illness clichés that usually infest this sort of film, it’s all the more incredible that her character is utterly, utterly believable (as are the majority of the other care home residents). If Marion Cotillard really did put in a better performance than this in La vie en rose it must’ve verged on possession by Piaf’s ghost. I think Gordon Pinsent is fantastic too, in a more understated way, although I can see why people might not agree; he sleepwalks through much of the movie, even getting mistaken for a care home resident at one point. I think it’s note-perfect, though; his sometimes blank incomprehension makes perfect sense, and even his deflated, shambling walk speaks volumes.
So, has anyone else seen this? If not, run, do not walk to the video store. And for those of you who have, what did you think? I have a question about the end, actually:
What’s people’s interpretation of the final scene? Was Fiona really testing Grant as he had earlier wondered aloud? Is that moment just between when he asks, “do you remember Aubrey?” and she replies, “I’m no so good with names,” when she forgives him, or does she genuinely not remember who Aubrey is? Is that whole scene just one of those days the nurse referred to earlier when suddenly she’s briefly back to normal, not to last? I’m tending towards the former - that she remembers Aubrey but pretends otherwise, knowing what Grant has done for her. But I keep see-sawing. Thoughts?
As a final thought, I love the fact that on the film’s IMDb entry someone has entered the plot keyword “sweater”. Brilliant.
