Sometimes you have to let go of what you can't live without.
"Away From Her" is the writing and directorial feature film debut of the multi-talented Canadian actress (writer, director, singer) Sarah Polley, so good in Doug Liman's ensemble black comedy "Go" (1999) and Vincenzo Natali's recent SF fantasy horror "Splice" (2009).
This film is a remarkably accomplished first feature, with a suspenseful story and beautifully judged performances by the main actors. It tells the story of how a retired university professor (Gordon Pinsent) and his wife (Julie Christie) cope with Christie's incipient Alzheimer's disease. As Christie's character, clearly possessing a strong legacy of physical fitness, presence of mind and social adroitness, starts to lose her mental faculties, so far as to endanger her own safety, the couple is faced with unpleasant choices.
The plot develops in directions that are unexpected but that significantly advance the story, severely testing the strength of Christie's husband's love. The plot is cleverly structured, interleaving events separated in time to build to a satisfying if not long-lasting end. Although the subject matter sounds depressing, ultimately, the film leaves the viewer not depressed but moved.
Christie is fantastic in the lead role, conveying from the outset, through body language and vocal delivery, a person of exceptional grace and sensibility, without which husband Pinsent's actions would be without credibility. Pinsent, Dukakis and the other members of the cast are very good in supporting roles.
Produced by Atom Egoyan, who directed Polley in "The Sweet Hereafter" (1997), for me this is a more accessible, more satisfying experience, and I look forward to more by film-maker Sarah Polley.
- Rating: Full price
- When seen: 20 Mar 2011
- Where seen: Home
- More information: IMDB | RottenTomatoes | Wikipedia
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Amendments: Removed link to Wikipedia-sourced image. Added ranking image.
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