Review of Still Alice (2014) by Valerie M — 26 Feb 2015
Still Alice is the heartbreaking story of Alice Howland as her mind slowly deteriorates to Alzheimer's disease. A truly terrifying idea, not being able to remember anything is one of my biggest fears and Julianne Moore's portrayal of Alice really resonated with me. You could feel her frustration as she would forget simple things like how to get to the bathroom. Moore was fantastic in the role and definitely deserves that Oscar she won (although I still have a soft spot for Rosamund Pike).
For the most part, the cinematography does a good job of alienating Alice when her memory starts to go, the use of selective focus remaining solely on her and the rest of the world is just a blur is great, but I would have liked to have seen a bit more of this.
The story feels like it is moving in a steady downhill motion along with the oncoming of the disease, but there isn't really any uplift in the end. Although this may be keeping true to the effects of Alzheimers, as a narrative it just left me unsatisfied.
But Still Alice is still a very charming movie, and Julianne Moore's performance is worth the admission price alone. If you're buzzing on the aftermath of the Oscars like I was, see if you can find a cinema that is still playing this film. Otherwise it will be a good one to watch at home on DVD.
3/5.
'I can make my own tea' - Alice.
This review of Still Alice (2014) was written by Valerie M on 26 Feb 2015.
Still Alice has generally received very positive reviews.
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