Tender, but deeply troubling.

The best filmmaking debut ever from Sarah Polley! With the best acting performance from Julie Christie!

A marriage encapsulated by the dreaded Alzheimer's "Sometimes there's something delicious in oblivion" (05:55) "Away from Her"- a heartwarming yet heartbreaking film directed by former Canadian actress Sarah Polley, takes place in Ontario, Canada, and is a first for the award-winning actress. Marking as Polley's first directorial debut since leaving the big screen, "Away from Her" is a beautifully told love story based on Alice Munro's poem "The bear came over the mountain." The film tells the story of a husband's devotion to his wife and the need to accept what he cannot fathom amidst the progression of his wife's Alzheimer's. Grief and compassion coincide in this beautifully adapted film suggesting that love is everlasting, and accepting one's fate will lead to happiness. The plot focuses on the unfortunate progression of Fiona's Alzheimer's as well as Grant's sacrifice to ensure Fiona is comfortable. While washing the dishes, Fiona becomes forgetful, visually struggling to remember where the frying pan belongs and then placing it in the freezer. Polly uses a shallow focus in this scene to capture the importance of Fiona's confusion and showcase the progression of her Alzheimer's. Although Grant( Gordon Pinsent, who plays a remarkable and patient husband) understands that Fiona is beginning to slip away, he states how she is "far too young"(14:28) as he is terrified to accept the shocking reality of his dear wife's future. Fiona's decline in memory is apparent again at a dinner party where she forgets how to pronounce wine and states "I think I'm beginning to disappear." (10:24-10:27) Polley's use of Heaven 2 the slow push-in shot compliments Fiona's acceptance of her decline in health. Fiona is accepting of her fate and decides it is best for her to move to a care facility called Meadowlake. The care home is set in high key lighting suggesting the unearthly and apparent "dream" aspect of Grant's reality. The residents are expected to have a 30-day integration period to settle down. It was during this time that Fiona met Aubrey (the silent resident played by Michael Murphy), initiating Grants transformation from husband to a mere acquaintance. The unfamiliar presence of Grant startles Fiona as she cannot seem to remember who he is, or his role in her life. Though Fiona's memory is fading, her long-term memory is intact as she hints at Grant's past instances of infidelity with students from his university, suggesting their rocky marriage. Grant grows increasingly impatient and questions her about her relationship with Aubrey as he is devastated by the lack of affection and response from his wife. She clearly states how "He doesn't confuse me at all."(59:39) Wondering whether or not Fiona is punishing him for his past infidelity, he embarks on a journey of selflessness (complemented by Polly's use of cinematic techniques) to prove his unwavering love for her. Polley has an impeccable knack for directing as well as choosing purposeful cinematic techniques to secrete emotion from her viewers. While Grant watches families share their Christmas dinners with family, Polly uses a dissolve shot paired with natural lighting to showcase the isolation and gloom that occurs with the progression of Alzheimer's. (27:22-28:00) Marion (a practical yet closed-off wife to Aubrey) shares a couch with Grant, mirroring his dark clothing and posture suggesting their mutual depressive states and the beginning of a heartfelt friendship. The use of melancholic soundtracks adds to Grant's depressing realization that he will soon be a distant memory to his wife whom he has been married to for 44 years. Heaven 3 All in all, if you would like to further educate yourself on the effects of Alzheimer's as well as support the Canadian film industry, then I highly recommend viewing this eye-opening movie. Sarah Polly has taken a progressive and violent disease and captured the beauty and importance of accepting what we cannot control, and the encouragement to live while we still have time.

Featuring great performances from Gordon Pinsent and Julie Christie, Away from Her tells the story of an aging married couple and the horrors that Alzheimer's disease inflicts on their relationship. In her directorial debut, Sarah Polley shows maturity beyond her years in handling a difficult subject with a tremendous amount of sensitivity and restraint. Instead of concentrating on excessive dialogue, she allows the camera to linger on faces, usually in close-up and in long takes, in order to show the characters' pain through their expressions and knowing glances. Powerful and memorable, Away from Her teaches us about the unpredictability of where like is taking us and how we answer the call when things take an unexpected turn.

Don’t know what to add that the reviews don’t already say. Sad, sometimes squirmishly so, but solid.

A wonderful story of true love from a husband and a wife.

We have seen this sort of thing a lot but the direction and acting make this one of the best of its kind.

Very comfortable film to watch about something that can be so hard to bare.

A transformative love story accompanied by Alzheimer's in "Away From Her" By Martin Bock. Away From Her is a heart-warming, yet heart wrenching film beautifully and purposefully directed by Sarah Polley as she has taken the brilliant short story by Alice Munro and given it the breath of life in bringing it to the big screen. You feel as if you're immersed into the forty-four-year love story of Grant (Gorden Pinsent) and Fiona (Julie Christie) Andersson as they reach a new obstacle in Alzheimer's. In turn the Alzheimer's creates even more obstacles that will test the boundaries of Grants love and devotion to his wife. A young couple decide early in life to make a commitment to one another at an age when most people's biggest worry would be which series to binge watch next on Netflix. They're young, married, and in love and soon Grant becomes a university professor with a wandering eye and apparent lack of commitment. This gives more depth to the plot as it simply could have been another picture-perfect love story. Grants infidelity is told through scenes showing the university girls and through Fiona discussing the past throughout the film. His acts of adultery cause him and Fiona to make the decision to retire and move to an inherited cottage from Fiona's grandparents. The cottage gives an excellent visual for a background and through various cinematic techniques used by Polley you soon begin to understand the deeper meaning of the beautifully open landscape. Despite the corrupt past of Grants indecision, the couple are happy and healthy. They regularly cross-country ski on the frozen lake behind there cottage, never too far from each other's side leaving permanent paths etched in the snow and spend the nights cooking, eating, cuddling, and reading together. Just when you think how great they have it you see them cleaning up after supper and after Grant passes Fiona a clean pan to put away she places it in the freezer. It's at this moment you know that there's trouble in paradise. Fiona has the dreaded Alzheimer's disease. Told in moments through similar signs and Fiona stating comments such as "I think I'm beginning to disappear". The disease seems to be spreading fast as Fiona gets lost and ends up wandering into the city after cross country skiing where Grant eventually finds her and brings her home. At this point Polley begins to use plenty of chiaroscuro to show the tough decisions being made by many characters. A clever technique to show indecision and help the audience truly feel as if they're the ones making the decisions. Despite Grants opposition to the idea, Fiona makes the decision to move into the care home. Grant is devastated and alone as he mustn't see Fiona for 30 days according to the care center's rules. Throughout the movie you witness many transformations in the characters, most notably in Grant as during the 30 days apart Fiona's Alzheimer's worsens to the point of her forgetting Grant and she falls in love with another man, Aubrey (Michael Murphy). Grants helplessness, pain, and suffering all contribute to his transformation. Eventually he learns that in order to keep Fiona happy and healthy his role in the relationship must change and with this as does he. Later in the film Aubrey is taken back home by his wife Marian (Olympia Dukakis) as she cannot afford to keep him there and Fiona is broken. Despite Grants best efforts to help and keep her happy, Fiona's sadness and depression becomes crippling and worsens. Soon she doesn't want to move, stand, or walk and is moved to the dreaded second floor. At this point Grant makes the hardest decision of his life and reaches out to Marian to place Aubrey back in the care facility. This completes the transformation of Grant. In doing so Grant and Marian develop a relationship based off the similar situations they share and end up together as do Fiona and Aubrey. The beautiful short story brought to life is enough of a reason to see the film alone. Then you add in the stunning landscapes, cinematic techniques, and character transformations and you've got all the motivation you need! Every character is believable and relatable which adds to the immersed feeling. Away From Her truly sets itself apart from the other films about Alzheimer's in a special way. Definitely worth the watch and a 10/10 rating from me.

A sad love story of difficulty towards the subject of Alzheimer's and the importance of smiling in happiness as a reasonable sacrifice of the aged love with mesmerizing gentle performances and a thoughtful, yet probably relatable script. (B+) (Full review TBD)

"Away from Her" is Sarah Polley's feature-length directorial debut. Although she isn't new in cinema industry as she's been acting at the age of four, she started her directing career in 1999 where she made short films. "Away from Her" is an adaptation of Alice Munro's short story entitled "The Bear Came Over the Mountain". The movie had won seven Genie awards, one of which was Best Motion Picture and received universal acclaim from critics. Her second film entitled "Take this Waltz" didn't win any awards for best picture but the actress who portrayed the main character, Michelle Williams, won Hollywood Actress Award in 2011 and Best Actress award in 2012 (San Diego Film Critics Society). Her third film, "Stories We Tell" was a documentary which explore's her family's secrets. Polley discovered as an adult that the man who raised her wasn't her biological dad. The documentary won several awards, best Canadian film at the Toronto Film Critics Association Awards, best feature-length documentary at the 1st Canadian Screen Awards among others. Polley was born in Toronto, Ontario. Youngest of five children, parents were also involved in the cinema industry. With the movie "Away from Her", Polley was able to portray well how "for better, for worse, in sickness and in health", marriage vows that we often hear, really mean. She was able to remind the audience of what great love and marriage is about, that marriage is tested through time. The movie is about what a person with Alzheimer's disease go through and the impact on their loved ones. Grant (Gordon Pinsent) and Fiona (Julie Christie) Andersson have been married for forty-four years. A marriage that was tested through time, there were some suggestions that Grant cheated on Fiona when he was still a University professor. "you never left me. You still made love to me, despite disturbing demands elsewhere... I think you did alright, compared to some of your colleagues. Those who left their wives." He retired and lived a new life with Fiona, moved to a cottage by the lake where they cross country ski. Everything was normal until Fiona was showing signs of having "cloudy" memory. Tried to put away a frying pan in the fridge, forgetting what wine is called "would anybody want some more? (long pause) then whispers "ween" then wai.. wain.." and losing her way back home after cross country skiing by herself. Grant was in denial at first about his wife's condition "if we do think of it, if we do, then it must be as something that isn't permanent. A kind of experimental treatment or a rest cure of sorts." and he believes Fiona is too young to be suffering from Alzheimer's, "I've been told that Alzheimer's can't be confirmed until after...". Fiona tried convincing Grant that it is normal "We are at that stage Grant, we are at that stage. Fiona admitted herself to a nearby nursing facility for people suffering Alzheimer's disease (Meadowlake). Grant tried convincing Fiona of not going but she insisted. They havent been away from each other since they got married. "We haven't been apart for a month for the last 44 years. It could be quite something". Grant wasn't allowed to visit Fiona for 30 days, a Meadowlake's policy to get the patients settled in. During those days, Grant was researching about his wife's condition, while Fiona, on the other hand is developing a friendship with another patient, Aubrey. Finally, 30 days have past and Grant prepared for it well as if it was their first date, he even bought flowers. Sadly, Fiona didn't recognize him and thought he is a new resident. Grant became one of the most frequent visitors, each day he sees his wife take care of a stranger as if taking care of her husband. He couldn't stand it at first and was alarmed and started asking nurse Kristy if anyone develops intimate relationship in the facility. He was finally appeased when Aubrey had to leave the facility, or he thought so. Aubrey's absence made Fiona depressed and made her condition worse. Grant was then advised by Kristy that Fiona will be transferred to the second floor, unit where patients who completely "lost it" were put, if there's no improvement. Desperate on delaying his wife's move to the second floor of Meadowlake, Grant went to meet Marian, Aubrey's wife. He came to ask if he can take Aubrey to Meadowlark once more but Marian disapproved and thinks he is a jerk for thinking of doing so. Marian's lonesomeness led her in inviting grant to a dance and from there on, it changes everything and she finally agreed with Grant taking Aubrey to Meadowlake. Movie ended when Grant was about to show Fiona his surprise (Aubrey), Fiona's memories of him came back. "I seem to remember you reading this to me. You were trying to make me feel better. You tried so hard. You're a lovely man you know? I'm a very lucky woman." Julie Christie who played the role of Fiona Andersson is a friend of Polley. She initially declined taking the role but after months of persuasion, she finally took it. She did good in portraying the role, her emotions can be seen from her eyes, the look of confusion when she tries to remember things, how effective Gordon Pinsent, who portrayed the role of Grant and Julie Christie in making the audience feel what the characters feel. It was eye opener, although majority knows what Alzheimers is, some, including myself, doesn't know the struggle of the loved ones who takes care of the individual who has the disease. With Pinsent's portrayal, the fear of the husband losing his wife and see her health deteriorate was felt. Pinsent was recognized from his portrayal of the role in the movie and was awarded Outstanding male performance (ACTRA award) and Best Performance by an Actor in a leading role (Genie Award). The cinematography was effective in sending the message of the film to the audience especially from a young director and for someone's first feature-length directorial. Polley used a lot of close up shot at the beginning of the movie draws the viewer's attention to the piece of paper which seems to be an address of someone named Marian which then focuses on Grant and used dissolve to give the viewers a bit of background. The voice over of Grant talking to Nurse Kristy about how they got married was used while showing the viewers the young Fiona in slow motion. Dissolves once more to show how they are now, used a long shot image of two individuals cross country skiing. The paths states how close they are, indicating intimacy or close relationship of the two. The mise en scene and the low key lighting used during the first interacting scene of the two characters gives the viewers the feel that they are intimate and happy. The candle light dinner, dim light suggests intimacy. The same dining area was used when Grant and Fiona were talking about her going to the nursing home. Low key lighting was used but the table is empty, the half-covered windows, and characters' blocking gives the scene a feeling of sadness. The use of negative space emphasized character's worries- Grant returning the frying pan in the cupboard as Fiona put it in the freezer. It gives the audience the feel that Grant is starting to worry about his wife's behaviour. The first few scenes in the film were all in low key lighting as Polley is introducing the characters as intimate couple. The use of push-in every time Fiona forgets something-Fiona trying to think of the word wine and when she was skiing by herself, gives the audience an idea of how confused she is and suggests her condition which will lead the characters to seek medical attention. Voice overs were mostly used in the film to elaborate further on the scenario. When Fiona was trying to recall what wine is called, voice over was used and shifts frame to when she was skiing by herself looking confused and shifts it back to a close up shot of Fiona while saying " I think I may be beginning to disappear." It was also used when Fiona was reading about her disease and the audience sees a pan on a stove with no water, probably been boiling for a while till the water evaporated. It was Polley's way of portraying that Fiona and Grant were visualizing how their life is gonna be in the future. Spiral shot was used when Grant was observing on his first visit in Meadowlake, showing the audience what he sees. Giving the audience of a feel of what Grant is seeing and possibly what he feels. Close up was used again when Fiona tells Grant "I'd like to make love and then I'd like you to go" focusing on Fiona's emotion while saying these words. The sadness in her eyes, the emotions that she's holding back. The vertical panning after that which implies that they made love and showing what appears to be naked Fiona and Grant with just his undershirt, the non-diagetic sound that makes the scene seems emotional. Panning was also used on Fiona's first few days in Meadowlake, showing nurse Kristy introducing her to Aubrey, it then dissolves and shows Grant on how he deals life without Fiona. Voiceover was used again showing him reading about his wife's condition in a low key lighting, showing how comfortable he is in his bed. Shifting to a different frame showing Grant wiping dishes, with the negative space and lighting, indicates his lonesomeness without Fiona. An extreme long shot of the frozen lake with Grant skiing and fading from one end to the other, suggests Fiona's memory slowly fading. The part where Grant's voiceover says "It is like a series of circuit breakers in a large house, flipping off one by one" then later shows a house with lights flipping off one by one, suggests a visual of what Grant is talking about. Grant's blocking when he was told that Fiona is going to be moved to the second floor suggests his despair, audience can feel his pain and sorrow as he feels helpless. He was so certain that his wife won't be moved to the second floor and how he is actually facing that situation and he can't do anything about it. With actor's effective acting and the cinematography put together, it was easy for the audience to connect into what is happening in the film. Audience can feel what the characters feel. Away from Her reminds me of the movie "The Vow" it's about a couple who are deeply in love with each other, got married, and things were doing great till they got into an accident and the wife can't remember her husband. It was painful thing to experience. The movie also shows how the husband tried his very best to get his wife's memory back but in doing so, it made them grew apart. The gap between them grew bigger and bigger. It's somehow similar to what happened to Grant and Fiona. Grant's trying to tell Fiona that he is his husband when he saw Fiona wearing a sweater that isn't hers thinking something is going on between her and Aubrey. Their distance grew while doing so. When the husband is finally giving up and just want their wife to be happy, the wives remember them all of a sudden. I would definitely suggest watching this movie to people who want to remind themselves of how marriage is and great love. Marriage isn't something that you drop when things aren't working right. You try to mend things out, you remind yourselves of the vows you made when you got married, "through sickness and in health, for richer or poorer, till death do us part".

The book is better, however the movie is faithful of the original story.

Ever has it been that love knows not its own depth until the hour of separation. - Kahlil Gibran

I watched a beloved relative fade away suddenly and gradually from this disease. Why do the film at all? Go to a local nursing home and visit the afflicted. This is pure fiction wrapped in a cloak of syrupy sentimentalism.

the leads r the fuel that makes this pic about alzheimer's disease

A husband's devotion to his wife is tested when she suffers from Alzheimer's and must go to a nursing home. A slow, sensitive, and deeply affecting drama, Away From Her features wonderful performances by its leads and Sarah Polley's steady directorial hand. Julie Christie is wonderfully tragic, beating Julianne Moore to this punch a long time ago, and Gordon Pinsent, whom I've never seen before, positively carries this film. Grant is flawed - his flaws sometimes hijacking the plot - but he also seems like the type of husband that we might all wish we were or had. And the ending ... well, it's subtle and lovely and very sad. Overall, with all due respect to Still Alice, Away From Her is one of the best films about Alzheimer's.

Emotional, painful, frustrating journey. The story of a woman who is put in a home after she develops Alzheimer's Disease, how her and her husband cope with with this, and how their relationship is affected. Very sensitively told, making for a very emotional movie. Maybe too sensitively done: the film moves incredibly slowly. Every scene is drawn out to breaking point. Plus there are some incredibly frustrating turns of events, which add to the irritation. However, the level of engagement with the characters is high enough for you to sit through it all. It's not a perfect movie, far from it - for the reasons mentioned above and the lack of a punchy or profound ending - but is watchable and endurable.

Beautifull and sweet to see once ...about euh..........Alzheimer

This is a moving and deeply emotional portrayal of the onset of Alzheimer and how it impacts a couple. Cinematography is beautiful. There are though certain problems with plausibility and 3/4 of the way through, Polley takes the film in an unnecessary direction adding zero value.

A semi-sad movie about a man who reluctantly moves his wife of 50yrs into assisted living for early-onset dementia. While in care, she falls in love with another man, much to the husband's dismay.