Review of Away from Her (2007) by Filipeneto — 30 May 2021

This kind of film is not exactly my cup of tea, but I saw it anyway, convinced by the good reviews about it. I am not sorry: the film is quite interesting and addresses a pertinent subject: Alzheimer's disease, one of the most feared and devastating diseases that we can conceive.

The film focuses on the figure of Grant, a man in his sixties who see his life turned upside down when Fiona, his wife for more than forty years, begins to show all the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease. As the disease advances inexorably, he sees the woman's mental degradation and is forced to put her in a home specifically designed for people with this condition. There, she begins to approach and "date" another patient, and Grant finds himself forgotten. The script and direction are signed by Sarah Polley, in her first major job as a director and screenwriter. I have no doubt that the result can open doors for her in future projects. She showed how to tell a story and work with what she had in hand.

The cast is dominated by two great actors, both veterans, who give us an overwhelming and moving work. I cannot say that this was the best film of Julie Christie's career, I believe that this place was solidly occupied by "Doctor Zhivago". She will be the eternal Lara. But this film can be perfectly placed right behind the famous epic. I really liked the way she looks confused and how credible it seemed to me. But despite all this excellent work, the film belongs to Gordon Pinsent. He is a much less well-known actor than his co-worker, but it gives us, I think, the performance of a lifetime: the way he, with just one look, without saying anything, expresses pain and anguish is something truly overwhelming. The role required a lot of dramatic expression from the actor, as he expresses more of what he is feeling with his face and gaze than with words, and it worked very well.

The film has very discreet production values and intelligently focuses on the plot and performance of the two actors. Even so, I enjoyed cinematography, with soft tones and discreet light, and an intelligent use of winter scenes and rainy days to express the somber atmosphere of the characters' lives. The film is not long, it lasts about 90 minutes, but it is a lukewarm, slow, depressive film in its essence (it would suffice, for that, to approach the subject it addresses), and for that reason I think it is not suitable for anyone. I would keep the film away from people with a melancholy propensity. I did, in fact, have some difficulties with the slowness of the film and I felt that it drags a lot at times, and that there are scenes that could have been shortened in a few minutes in order to make the film less heavy.