Thursday, April 03, 2008

Movie: Away From Her


Alzheimer's is such a tragic and devastating disease. Any disease is tragic, isn't it? Alzheimer's seems so sad because your body is physically healthy and your brain gives out too early. Also, personal experience probably adds to how much this movie hits home with me.

Alright, back to the movie. Away From Her stars Julie Christie as Fiona. She is great in this movie. The Oscar nomination was well-deserved. And she is gorgeous. But I felt that Gordon Pinsent (who plays Fiona's husband Grant) didn't get enough credit for portraying the husband of an Alzheimer's patient, who not only forgets him, but finds someone else. He is heartbroken by the loss of his wife, even though she is physically present, but also desperately seeks human connection with anyone who will give it to him.

I knew this movie wasn't going to portray Alzheimer's in the same light as The Notebook. Not that it wasn't sad in The Notebook, but things all still seemed to work out so "perfect" for Noah & Allie. I didn't expect this movie to wrap up so nicely. I won't say whether it did so I don't ruin it for you.

"There's a man with a broken heart. Broken in a thousand pieces." So sad.

2 comments:

Vance said...

Yes, Gordon Pinsent should have also gotten as much award attention as Julie Christie (who I still think should have won the Oscar).

And thats saying a lot from me cause I was sick of Pinsent for a while because he's in EVERY CDN production it seems here.

Linz McC said...

Oh, so he is from Canada. That is why I don't know who he is :-)