Overrated

not horrible nor great

In truth, any opportunity to see the film on the big screen is welcome.

There is definitely an excellent idea hidden in the background of the film. Unfortunately, it's difficult to find it.

She is the driving force in this movie and it is good for our older crowds.

Julie Christie's performance should have won her the Oscar, despite the strong competition at the Academy Awards that year. She was vulnerable, she was understated when need be, and she was relate-able. Gordon Pinsent was equally strong and we felt for both of their characters and were on their sides. Sarah Polley had depth beyond her years, and an understanding of a topic that should have been taken on by an older more experienced director (I am the same age as Polley). Had that happened, we wouldn't have had the strong performances, brought on by Polley's direction, nor would the film been as touching and realistic. Cudo's to the producers for believing in her vision and allowing her to take the helm. This could have been a Bergman film, it works on so many levels and really stays with the viewer.

The debut feature from talented Canadian director Sarah Polley, AWAY FROM HER is a love-story set in a care home involving Fiona Anderson (Julie Christie) and Aubrey (Michael Murphy). The plot unfolds slowly, but then Polley is very much preoccupied with the mise-en-scene. The action takes place during midwinter in the frozen wastes of Canada: the snow on the ground and the crisp winter air offer a fitting metaphor for the state of the Andersons' marriage as Fiona's husband Grant (Gordon Pinsent) comes to the realization that his wife will no longer be living full-time at home, and that their relationship is effectively over. He has little to look forward to except a cold, bleak existence alone, with only occasional visits to see his wife in the care-home.Polley is exceptionally good at capturing Fiona's gradual discovery that she has Alzheimer's. From the sequence where she puts a frying-pan into the refrigerator, to the sequence on a winter's night where she stands alone on a bridge shivering to death, we understand how her grasp of the world around her is gradually receding. Grant desperately tries to convince himself (and her) that this is a temporary condition, but Fiona herself knows precisely what is happening to her. Christie gives us a portrayal of a strong-minded woman aware of life's realities, however unpleasant they might be.The atmosphere at the care home is stunningly re-created, from the pristine walls of the corridors to the impersonal dining-room, where the residents sit quietly chatting to one another under the eyes of the staff. Madeleine Montpellier (Wendy Crewson) is the very epitome of efficiency in her black two-piece suit, giving prospective residents a guided tour of the facility while pointing out the fact that the corridors attract plenty of "natural light." The implication is clear: much of life in the facility is "unnatural" for the residents, the majority of whom simply pass away the time in miscellaneous activities, aided by artificially bright staff trying their best to make everything seem wonderful. The residents' impassive faces sum up their lives; Polley's camera captures the emptiness of their lives through slow pans of their common-rooms.In this kind of environment, any prospect of a love-affair between two residents must be applauded. However much Grant might resent his spouse's action, he cannot blame her for it. The surprise ending catches all of us by surprise, yet seems somehow right in terms of the film's earlier logic.AWAY FROM HER is a sympathetic yet uncompromising portrait of people trying to cope with Alzheimer's, that should serve as an example to us all.

Julie Christie provides a brilliant performance as Fiona Anderson, a mature attractive woman with Alzheimer's disease. As the disease progresses, her loving husband Grant Anderson (played brilliantly by Gordon Pinsent) puts her away in a nursing home where she is cared for round the clock. They have to spend the first month away from each other. When he does visit her, he is surprised to see her with Aubrey Park, a wheelchair bound man (played great by Michael Murphy). Despite a speechless performance, his facial expressions can say more than words could ever say. Anyway, Olympia Dukakis plays Aubrey's long-suffering wife, Marian. She does a great job in playing the role. Anyway, Grant visits his wife more than anybody else visits the home. While he must adjust to a life without her, it is painfully clear that she was his entire world. They were a childless couple of 44 years together. They lived in a beautiful home by the lake. I think Gordon Pinsent deserved equal recognition for his performance. Director and screenwriter, Sarah Polley weaves a tale of love and life in a realistic style. She is an up and coming director to watch out for. She brings and weaves a first rate cast with a realistic story.