Product Description

Based on a short story by acclaimed author Alice Munroe, 'Away From Her' is the dazzling, lyrical and intensely moving debut of award-winning actress, writer and director Sarah Polley. Married for 50 years, Fiona (Julie Christie) and Grant's (Gordon Pinsent) commitment to each other appears unwavering and their everyday life is full of tenderness and humour. This serenity is broken by increasing tension created by Fiona's erratic memory loss and the couple's uncertainty only increases as the behaviour becomes more obvious and dramatic. Unable to ignore what is happening, Grant is forced to confront his own anguish and embarks on the greatest act of self-sacrifice of his life as a means to attaining his wife's final happiness. Beautifully acted and impeccably directed, this is the ultimate expression of memory, devotion and the circuitous, sometime unfathomable path of true love.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #19253 in DVD
• Released on: 2007-09-17
• Rating: Suitable for 12 years and over
• Format: PAL
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 110 minutes

Synopsis
Canadian actress Sarah Polley makes an impressive directorial debut with AWAY FROM HER, a film adapted from the Alice Munro story 'The Bear Came Over The Mountain'. The plot concerns the way in which the 50-year marriage of Grant (Gordon Pinsent) and Fiona (Julie Christie) deteriorates with the progression of Fiona’s Alzheimer’s disease. Rich scenery, intimate cinematography, and familiar songs like Neil Young’s 'Helpless' create a private world of two people enviably in love. Fiona and Grant have carved out a piece of the world for themselves, and have lived together happily in their later years until Fiona’s memory started to wane. The harmony in their lives is lost when Fiona decides she’s reached the point of no return and enters a retirement home in order to take the burden off Grant, though he can think of nothing worse than being away from her. After dropping Fiona off, Grant is forced to not visit for 30 days, which, as he fears, ends up feeling much longer in the mind of a person who is losing her memory. AWAY FROM HER features stunning performances from its leads as well as from Michael Murphy as Aubrey (a patient Fiona forms a close bond with), Olympia Dukakis as Aubrey’s wife, and Kristen Thomson as a nurse at the facility. Instead of treating old age as the winding down of life, this film portrays it as a potentially rich, enjoyable period. Grant and Fiona never yearn for the days of their youth, but rather for the later years when their intimacy had reached a higher peak. While so many films portray older characters in a one-dimensional way, Polley’s film portrays its characters as multifaceted people filled with wisdom and true beauty, thanks to their age and not in spite of it.

Customer Reviews

From Lovers to Strangers

"Don't worry, I'm just losing my mind" she quips when he catches her absently putting a frying pan in the freezer. But it's not a joke: Fiona has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's." Dennis Harvey

Fiona, Julie Christie, is in the midst of Alzheimer's. She is having symptoms and when she becomes lost in the cold she makes the decision to enter a facility for care. Fiona and her husband, Grant, a retired professor, played by Gordon Pinsent , live on a lake in Ontario and have been married for over 40 years. Loving, fulfilled years and they seem the happy, retired couple. This movie is so well played that we enter into the mindset of both Fiona and Grant and have a glimpse of what their lives might be like. First from the person involved with Alzheimer's and then from the partner's perspective. Julie Christie, one of the most beautiful of actresses, remains as lovely and serene as ever. As Fiona she plays this part with extreme serenity and intelligence. Gordon Pinsent, her husband Grant, is a charismatic man and his part is played with subtlety and perfection. Kristen Thomson, the lead nurse at the facility is wonderful with her compassion, knowledge and insight.

At an early point in their marriage, Grant had affairs with his younger students and even though Fiona stayed there seems to be an unspoken anger within her. At times you wonder if some of her symptoms and behavior are not exaggerated by her anger. At the facility, Fiona becomes involved in the daily life of a man, Aubrey, and seems at times to have forgotten who Grant is. The issue of finding another soul to hang onto when you are going down this path of the unknown seems to me to be a human need. And, as Fiona says to Grant, "Aubrey does not confuse me". Many lovely scenes ensue as the Alzheimer's progresses and Grant visits daily and sits and watches his wife slowly slipping away. Grant does become involved with life again but in his mind Fiona comes first. The life of partners when one has Alzheimer's should be viewed by all.

"In a refreshingly direct, unassuming manner, "Away From Her" considers two great human mysteries: the persistence of love and the workings of the brain. It takes the twilight of a long, mostly happy marriage as a vantage point from which to look back at youth and forward into the waiting darkness. I can't remember the last time the movies yielded up a love story so painful, so tender and so true." A. O Scott

Highly, highly Recommended. prisrob 02-09-08

A quiet, moving gem of a film
Amongst a lot of overhyped dross from last year, this little gem of a film stood out by miles. As soon as I saw it I had the feeling that Julie Christie would justly receive awards for her performance. If there is any justice she will receive Academy Award for Best Actress. It is a shame that Gordon Pinsent who plays her character's husband has not been similarly recognised for his subtle yet deeply-moving performance. The synopsis will tell you the storyline. All I have to add is that if you are looking for a superbly-acted, brilliantly-scripted film that does not insult your intelligence or rely on overrated Hollywood names for its power, then this is one for you.

flawed but thought provoking
There is a quiet stillness in this film, in the depiction of Altzhiemers. The reaction from the main character to her increasing dementia is largely internal. She goes for beautifully shot walks in the snow. This leads the viewer to struggle with one of the main weaknesses in the plot. Why voluntarily commit yourself to a nursing home when you're still able to function? The film cant really get around this flaw and I was left to question if the character played with a bit too much stoical dignity by Julie Christie was just trying to get away from her husband. That ambiguity may indeed be tied up in the title. Sara Polley the director, who is also a brilliant actress directs a thoughtful film that largely shies away from tackling its subject with as much messy reality as it needs.I did enjoy it though an its worth a watch!