... So to see her now in Away From Her is quite a shock. Still a very attractive actress, Christie has aged considerably in 16 years; so much so that I hardly recognised the 70's icon. Having won an Oscar for her 1965 movie Darling, Christie finds herself nominated again for this movie about a ... Read review
Away From Her is the lyrical screenplay adaptation of celebrated author Alice Munro's ... more
short story "The Bear Came Over the Mountain." A beautifully moving love story that deals with memory and the circuitous unnamable paths of a long marriage. Marrie...
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Based on Alice Munro's short story, 'The Bear Came Over The Mountain', 'Away From Her' is ... more
a beautifully moving love story.Married for 50 years, Grant (Gordon Pinsent) and Fiona's (Julie Christie) life together is full of tenderness and humour, their serenity broken only by Fiona's occasional, restrained references to the past, complicated further by her increasingly evident memory loss. As the lapses become more obvious and dramatic, it is no longer possible for either of them to ignore the fact that Fiona is suffering from Alzheimer's disease.Moving Fiona into a nursing home specializing in the disease, Grant is not allowed to visit for the first month so she can adjust. When he sees her again, Fiona has forgotten him and turned her affection to Aubrey (Michael Murphy), another resident in the home. Heartbroken, Grant visits daily, bearing witness to the growing bond between her and Aubrey. When Aubrey's wife (Olympia Dukakis) takes Aubrey home, Fiona becomes deeply depressed, and Grant embarks on the greatest act of self-sacrifice of his life.
Production Year: 2004 - Drama - Director: Nick Cassavetes - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over, 12 years and over - Starring: Rachel McAdams, Ryan Gosling, Gena Rowlands
Production Year: 1995 - Drama - Director: Ang Lee - Original Language: English - Classification: Universal - Starring: Emma Thompson, Alan Rickman, Kate Winslet, Hugh Grant, Greg Wise, Hugh Laurie, Robert Hardy
Advantages: Moving tale of illness Disadvantages: Not something I would watch again
...to see her now in Away From Her is quite a shock. Still a very attractive actress, Christie has aged considerably in 16 years; so much so that I hardly recognised the 70's icon. Having won an Oscar for her 1965 movie Darling, Christie finds herself nominated again for this movie about a woman come to grips with Alzheimer's disease.
Grant (Gordon Pinsent) and Fiona (Julie Christie) have been together for 44 years, in that time they ... ...matter.
Away From Her is all about sacrifice, the characters having to pay the ultimate sacrifice; and that is not quite how it sounds, I'm pleased to report there is no final teary moments, nobody dies and I'm not ruining the story by saying this because there is a much greater sacrifice than death that the characters may or may not need to take.
I don't think I would watch Away From Her again, as I don't think the ... more
I had not seen Julie Christie in a movie since 1992's movie The Railway Station Man in which she was reunited with her fellow Don't Look Know actor Donald Sutherland. So to see her now in Away From Her is quite a shock. Still a very attractive actress, Christie has aged considerably in 16 years; so much so that I hardly recognised the 70's icon. Having won an Oscar for her 1965 movie Darling, Christie finds herself nominated again for this movie about a woman come to grips with Alzheimer's disease.
Grant (Gordon Pinsent) and Fiona (Julie Christie) have been together for 44 years, in that time they have never been apart. 22 years ago they left their old lives behind them to live in a log cabin on the outskirts of Ontario. At their cabin it is always like winter, there is always snow on the ground. But this is good because it keeps Fiona in touch with her roots, Fiona's family come from Iceland. Always a close couple things have been getting strained of late; Fiona is suffering from Alzheimer's disease. Well aware of her illness, because she is still fully functioning Fiona opts to go and live in a home for people suffering with the disease. For some this would be a blessing in disguise, but for Fiona and Grant this is the beginning of a downward spiral.
This is not a movie to watch and be jolly, in fact quite the opposite; this is a painfully bleak view of illness, an illness that will affect at least one person we know. What the movie does do well is show how the whole process takes place, the gradual occurrences. I'm not saying this is new territory but I don't think I have ever seen anything from either the cinema or television that gives the illness so much devoted attention.
I was quite surprised to see that the director of the movie was Sarah Polley not a household name I appreciate but an actress who is instantly recognisable from movies like Dawn Of The Dead (the remake), The Claim, and my favourite Go. I might sound condescending but for someone still so young she has not only directed a magnificent piece of film-making but adapted the screenplay from the short story The Bear Came Over The Mountain by Alice Monroe. Apparently this adaptation was carried out with Christie firmly in mind to play the lead.
Although it's Julie Christie's movie, Gordon Pinsent steals the show to some degree, allowing yourself to sit in the chair of the person who cares for the sick person. You can literally feel every one of his emotions. Especially when having installed his wife in the home he is forced to be parted from her for a month (transition period) only to discover at the end of this period she no longer remembers who he is. Pinsent looks visually disturbed by all these events, yet he displays a certain vacantness, someone clearly driven to the edge.
Certainly looking at the contenders for this year's best actress award in the Oscars Julie Christie should have this prize hands down. Going from elegant to destitute looking, she scales all the emotions associated with the illness with what looks like great ease, but obviously not the case. Towards the end while looking visually old there are some great sparkles of how she used to look back in the 70's; she still has it.
Michael Murphy and Olympia Dukakis provide supporting roles as a couple going on the same journey as Grant and Fiona, although the roles are reversed. And Murphy's character Aubrey takes a rather disturbing shine to Fiona.
There is a wonderful encounter when Grant visits the home for the first time and encounters a couple of its female residents, having created the image of perfect standing one comes out with a line "It's a real Cluster F**k"; this somehow provides a little light relief to the very serious subject matter.
Away From Her is all about sacrifice, the characters having to pay the ultimate sacrifice; and that is not quite how it sounds, I'm pleased to report there is no final teary moments, nobody dies and I'm not ruining the story by saying this because there is a much greater sacrifice than death that the characters may or may not need to take.
I don't think I would watch Away From Her again, as I don't think the impact would be felt twice. That being said it's a really good movie, not quite tearful so there is no need to be worried about watching it in company. It comes off as being one of those independent movies that despite acclaim will be relegated to late night TV showings, if any at all.
Advantages: Immaculate performances, well directed Disadvantages: None
...ShaunMunro.co.uk, and Dooyoo, thanks!
Away From Her is the writing and directorial debut of Sarah Polley, a surprising turn considering her previous body of work (acting in Go, and Zack Snyder's Dawn of the Dead remake). Perhaps more surprisingly, Polley has, in her first attempt at an endeavour such as this, crafted a mature, unrelenting effort at exploring the difficulties of dealing with Alzheimer's.
When we first meet the couple concerned - ... ...- she will be going away from him, and perhaps it's easier for her because of her illness. It's not as such an "ignorance is bliss" message or anything so heavy-handed (in relation to the rather sensitive subject matter), but Grant has no means of getting away from this - he is ever-cogent, and as such always conscious that Fiona is quickly going to spiral downwards.
Grant's visit to the home is like a metaphor for Dante's Inferno. The first floor ...
asdasta632 18.09.2009
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Away From Her (DVD)
...but this doesn't take anything away from the movie at all, for it's not one that needs to be complicated. The plot is straightforward - it's a film about a disease, and the effect that this disease has on a person and those that love them. It's extremely depressing to watch, and though I would recommend this film I don't think I will be watching it again for that reason! But if you're a fan of more serious or provoking films, then this is one for ...
hi_nicola 19.12.2008
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Away From Her (DVD)
Advantages: Wonderful performances, articulate and moving Disadvantages: Subject matter is depressing
...however the 109 minutes of Away from Her are, nevertheless, well worth it.
Julie Christie, in her long career, has rarely made a duff film and even in her late sixties she retains a luminous beauty and amazing acting talent. Director Sarah Polley clearly realised this could have been unremittingly bleak stuff so there is humour amid the terror as Christie's character gradually falls prey to the ravages of Alzheimer's. Or does she? Underlying the ... ...care home, is a past infidelity and sense of betrayal, which her guilty husband (Gordon Pincent) believes may be responsiblt for his wife forming an attachment to Aubrey, a fellow patient. Does he leave her to sink further into the abyss or does he continue to torture himself by visiting a woman who remembers less and less of their shared past? His heartbreaking dilemma is partly resolved when he meets Aubrey's wife, played by the feisty Olympia ...
bookaddict 17.07.2009
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Away From Her (DVD)
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Advantages: Genuinely made me jump Disadvantages: Special effects a little dated
are barely noticeable - to me at least.
The pacing of the film is great - there is never a chance to become bored, because no sooner has one event happened, there is another thread added to the story - and it is never entirely clear where the film is going. And just as you think it is over...it isn't. There is a rating of PG on the film, which I think is about right - although there is not much that is visually distressing for children, I can imagine that the concept of a little girl going to another world awayfromher parents and siblings, could be deeply disturbing for young children.
There is just one special feature on the DVD - a theatrical trailer. This is brief, but fun to watch, if trailers are your sort of thing. Howevever, I bought my DVD several years ago, and it seems that it is hard to get this version on a Region 2 ...
sunmeilan 11.11.2008 (12.11.2008)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Poltergeist (DVD)
Advantages: It's great if you like Chick Flick Disadvantages: It's rubbish if you don't like Chick Flick
My daughter is 8, and is a real fan of Chick Flick. When the Princess Diaries came out on DVD, she just had to have it. Amy has now got a DVD player in her bedroom, and for a few weeks, she has hidden herself away, watching this film over and over. Knowing that this film had taken over fromher worn out Grease DVD, I had to find out what all the fuss is about.
We snuggled up on her futon with a hot chocolate and some popcorn, and watched the film.
∞∞∞About the film∞∞∞
The Princess Diaries is a non-animated Disney film. It was directed by Garry Marshall, creator and producer of ?Happy Days? (remember Fonzie?).
The main characters are:
Amelia Thermopolis (or Mia as she is known) [Played by Anne Hathaway] who is 15 years old (although Anne was 21 at the time the film was made).
Clarisse ...
Advantages: Watch the fantastic episodes back to back Disadvantages: Disappointing number of extras
junk food and are still very thin. Makes girls across the country annoyed.
- There is the typical stereotype of the ugly best friend. Therefore, Lorelai's best friend is Suki and whilst attractive, she is also overweight. Additionally, Rory's best friend, whilst being attractive, wears glasses. Now where have I seen that before?
-Minor, minor quibble. In one of the earlier episodes, Lorelai complains that she thinks she's put her contacts in back to front. In one of the last episodes, someone asks if she wears contacts and she says no. Hmmm.
-You do wonder just how Lorelai managed to become so self-sufficient after running awayfrom a life where servants waited on her hand and foot.
All in all though, a highly enjoyable dvd that is a must see and it's a shame that it never got much coverage on the tv back here in the UK. It's easy to ...
IN2FILM; PINK ENTERTAINMENT; SONY DADC, HIGH FLIERS; TECHNICOLOR DISTRIBUTION SERVICES, METRODOME DISTRIBUTION; SONY DADC
Catalogue No
HFD 8673
No of Discs
1
Release date
24/09/2007
Languages
Main Language
English
Technical information
Aspect Ratio
16:9 Anamorphic Wide Screen
Sound
Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital 2.0, Dolby Digital 5.1
Professional reviews
Review
Refreshingly direct....The film is by turns sharp and somber, alive to the lacerations of ordinary experience and quietly attentive to grand absurdities and small instances of grace (New York Times, 20/06/2007)
Sarah Polley's directorial feature debut is as considered and mature as her performances in films such as THE SWEET HEREAFTER, THE WEIGHT OF WATER and THE CLAIM....An intensely personal drama (Sight And Sound, 20/06/2007)
DVD Description
Canadian actress Sarah Polley makes an impressive directorial debut with AWAY FROM HER, a film adapted from the Alice Munro story 'The Bear Came Over The Mountain'. The plot concerns the way in which the 50-year marriage of Grant (Gordon Pinsent) and Fiona (Julie Christie) deteriorates with the progression of Fiona’s Alzheimer’s disease. Rich scenery, intimate cinematography, and familiar songs like Neil Young’s 'Helpless' create a private world of two people enviably in love. Fiona and Grant have carved out a piece of the world for themselves, and have lived together happily in their later years until Fiona’s memory started to wane. The harmony in their lives is lost when Fiona decides she’s reached the point of no return and enters a retirement home in order to take the burden off Grant, though he can think of nothing worse than being away from her. After dropping Fiona off, Grant is forced to not visit for 30 days, which, as he fears, ends up feeling much longer in the mind of a person who is losing her memory. AWAY FROM HER features stunning performances from its leads as well as from Michael Murphy as Aubrey (a patient Fiona forms a close bond with), Olympia Dukakis as Aubrey’s wife, and Kristen Thomson as a nurse at the facility. Instead of treating old age as the winding down of life, this film portrays it as a potentially rich, enjoyable period. Grant and Fiona never yearn for the days of their youth, but rather for the later years when their intimacy had reached a higher peak. While so many films portray older characters in a one-dimensional way, Polley’s film portrays its characters as multifaceted people filled with wisdom and true beauty, thanks to their age and not in spite of it.
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