Away from Her
Composite Score: 85.13
Starring: Julie Christie, Michael Murphy, Gordon Pinsent, Olympia Dukakis, Alberta Watson, Wendy Crewson, and Kristen Thomson
Director: Sarah Polley
Writer: Sarah Polley
Genres: Drama, Romance
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for some strong language
Box Office: $9.19 million worldwide
Why should you Watch This Film?
Away from Her is Sarah Polley’s film adaptation of Alice Munro’s short story “The Bear Came Over the Mountain” about an aging couple dealing with the wife’s declining state following an Alzheimer's diagnosis. It stars Julie Christie and Gordon Pinsent in the leading roles of Fiona and Grant Anderson, joined by Michael Murphy as fellow invalid Aubrey, Olympia Dukakis as Aubrey’s wife Marian, and Kristen Thomson as the sympathetic nurse Kristy. As it unfolds, Grant’s past infidelities come to light, throwing further complication into the couple’s already complicated dynamic that continues to spiral as Fiona chooses to be admitted to a nursing home, where she strikes up a devoted relationship with Aubrey, even further complicating things. As dramatic as it all sounds, the film really serves as a sympathetic depiction of love, life, and the impact of Alzheimer's that touches its audience with sincerity. Christie’s leading performance and Polley’s adapted screenplay both garnered well-deserved Oscar nominations, further elevating this film’s status.
Why shouldn’t you Watch This Film?
Despite its heavy themes, certain moments of Away from Her can feel uncannily like a Hallmark film, and I think that has a lot more to do with Polley’s budget ($4 million) than her directorial vision or execution. Obviously, the performances and story vastly outshine that of your typical Hallmark or Lifetime film, but certain sets and lighting choices feel just generic and small enough to make the audience aware that they’re watching something on a set. The outdoor sequences do feel very real and true to Polley’s homeland of Canada, and they stand out from the cozy indoor shots of the Anderson’s home and the generic but sterile shots of the hallways in Meadowlake (the name of the facility that also sounds like a Hallmark town). Here’s the deal, though, if Hallmark could make something as artfully caring and well-acted as this, I don’t think they’d get the rap they do from most people in the movie community.
So wait, why should you Watch This Film?
Julie Christie and her simple, honest, moving portrayal of a woman experiencing Alzheimer's are the shining reason to seek this film out time and again. She plays Fiona in a way that immediately communicates her ailment to the audience with no need for context, humanizing the affliction and the afflicted beautifully. She captures that “spark of life” attributed to her by Gordon Pinsent’s Grant, showcasing a love of nature, other humans, and her husband through simple expressions and movements, never doing more or less than she needs to. It’s a nuanced performance that is more easily appreciated by those more closely impacted by the disease, but that reaches any level of audience simply through her authentic humanity.
In partnership with a grounded leading performance from Julie Christie, Sarah Polley’s Away from Her gives audiences an honest and moving look at life and love in the midst of Alzheimer's, humanizing its victims and celebrating that humanity throughout, earning a spot among the Greatest Films of All Time. Its production value might be lower than you might expect from a film on this list that released in 2006, but it does little to detract from the truth and humanity that the story portrays. The film may currently be streamed with ads on Tubi or rented without ads on most other streaming services for all those looking to watch it in the coming days.