Away From Her
It is hard to believe that Sarah Polley is only 28 years old. She has shown a depth and maturity in her acting that go way beyond her years. And now with her directorial debut of Away From Her one can only wonder what heights Ms. Polley will reach as she gets older.
As well as directing the film Polley also wrote the screenplay which is adapted from Alice Munro's book The Bear That Came Over the Mountain. The story is about a couple, Fiona (Julie Christie) and Grant (Gordon Pinsent), who have been married for 45 years. You can see how deep their connection is. They are truly soul mates. But Fiona begins to forget things and decides that she must check herself into a home. Grant is in denial. He thinks that this will be only temporary. But Fiona does not get better. To add wood to the fire Grant cannot visit Fiona until she has been in the home for a month. During his absence she grows attached to another resident Aubrey (Michael Murphy) who also happens to be married. And when Grant visits her for the first time she doesn't recognize him.
I will not say more about the plot. The only thing that I will add is that at some point Grant meets Aubrey's wife Marion (Olympia Dukakis) and they form a relationship. If you want know more you will have to see the film.
The film is done in a very sensitive way but it is never schmaltzy. I like that fact that it does not only concentrate on Fiona but on Grant as well. While Fiona deteriorates day by day Grant's heart is breaking piece by piece. On the other hand, Marion seems to be quite stoic. Perhaps she didn't have such a deep connection with her husband.
All of the acting is wonderful. Murphy is very good in his small role. And Dukakis is terrific as the put upon Marion. Christie, who is a favorite of mine, is outstanding as Fiona. When you look into her eyes you can see just how lost her character is. But my favorite performance in the film belongs to Pinsent. He is superb as the sad and devastated Grant. It is true that it is harder to be the one who is left behind.
Away From Her is definitely one of the best films so far this year. I hope that people will see it despite the subject matter. They won't be sorry that they did.
As well as directing the film Polley also wrote the screenplay which is adapted from Alice Munro's book The Bear That Came Over the Mountain. The story is about a couple, Fiona (Julie Christie) and Grant (Gordon Pinsent), who have been married for 45 years. You can see how deep their connection is. They are truly soul mates. But Fiona begins to forget things and decides that she must check herself into a home. Grant is in denial. He thinks that this will be only temporary. But Fiona does not get better. To add wood to the fire Grant cannot visit Fiona until she has been in the home for a month. During his absence she grows attached to another resident Aubrey (Michael Murphy) who also happens to be married. And when Grant visits her for the first time she doesn't recognize him.
I will not say more about the plot. The only thing that I will add is that at some point Grant meets Aubrey's wife Marion (Olympia Dukakis) and they form a relationship. If you want know more you will have to see the film.
The film is done in a very sensitive way but it is never schmaltzy. I like that fact that it does not only concentrate on Fiona but on Grant as well. While Fiona deteriorates day by day Grant's heart is breaking piece by piece. On the other hand, Marion seems to be quite stoic. Perhaps she didn't have such a deep connection with her husband.
All of the acting is wonderful. Murphy is very good in his small role. And Dukakis is terrific as the put upon Marion. Christie, who is a favorite of mine, is outstanding as Fiona. When you look into her eyes you can see just how lost her character is. But my favorite performance in the film belongs to Pinsent. He is superb as the sad and devastated Grant. It is true that it is harder to be the one who is left behind.
Away From Her is definitely one of the best films so far this year. I hope that people will see it despite the subject matter. They won't be sorry that they did.
posted by Film Fanatic | 3:47 PM
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