Film Review
Tom Murphy
RedwoodAge.com
For those lucky enough to find the one great love of their lives, there's nothing harder than letting it go.
In "Away From Her," Canadian director/writer Sarah Polley examines that struggle as a couple married for a half-century separates under the burden of Alzheimer's disease. Polley patiently and carefully tells us much about this couple before getting into her story, and it is hard not to admire Fiona (Julie Christie) and Grant (Gordon Pinsent) from the start. They are the comfortably retired couple many of us would like to become. Clearly, they've had difficult moments, but they've overcome them and learned to share a deep love, a rich life and a special sense of humor.
They know they are aging, and they are comfortable with it. Life has been good, and they are beautiful together. Christie's radiant face, which has thankfully avoided the dulling effects of botox, is etched with lines that frame her smile and heighten the sparkle in her remarkable eyes. Pinsent's rugged frame and wiry gray hair lend a profound sense of wisdom to his every movement. Simply seeing their characters together in everyday moments - skiing, reading, cooking - say more about the depth of their feelings than could 100 minutes of dialogue.
As Fiona's disease begins to manifest itself, there is reluctant acceptance, hope for the best possible outcome, and, then, the reality that they will have to separate as Fiona seeks treatment at Meadowlake, an institution that is likely as nice as anyone could expect, yet horridly deficient in the elements that have made Fiona's life so rich.
Fiona appears to adapt well. Like Grant, we're left wondering whether Fiona is putting on a brave front, or truly unaware of how much she has lost. Grant, on the other hand, is suddenly thrust into solitude and is painfully aware of what that means. His idyllic cabin in the snowy forest becomes a bleak prison where he watches days go by in solitary confinement. The snow piles up and he shovels it, but no longer knows why. Frustrated, he finds counsel and friendship from the wife of another patient, Marian (Olympia Dukakis), whose husband has developed a special relationship with Fiona at Meadowlake.
Based on Alice Munro's short story "The Bear Came Over the Mountain," the film - in limited circulation - offers a rich alternative to Hollywood's tiring romantic comedies, which are designed to make audiences feel good about the shortcomings of their own daily lives. "Away From Her" instead gives the audience a haunting and sad view of reality, and questions whether we'll have the courage to face it as bravely as Fiona and Grant.
"Away From Her" is worth seeing just for the performance by Christie, an extraordinary 66-year-old actress best known for playing Lara in "Doctor Zhivago," but who has steadily churned out great performances in 30 films since the early 1960s, including "Shampoo," "Finding Neverland," "McCabe and Mrs. Miller," and "Darling," the 1965 film that won her an Oscar.
Pinsent's power on camera never overshadows Christie's and is restrained enough to reflect the emotional changes he experiences with sensitivity and clarity. Polley will likely be nominated for Academy Awards for her efforts as writer and director, both of which serve as textbook examples of great filmmaking. This is one of those films from which a viewer emerges in tears, then later flashes back to key scenes that remain in sharp focus thanks to vivid cinematography and shrewd editing.
We look forward to Polley's next film, and hope Christie and Pinsent will find new characters as rich as these in years to come.
