AWAY FROM HER (2007)
****
PG-13 (for some strong language)
1 hr. 50 min.
written by: Sarah Polley (screenplay) & Alice Munro (from short story, The Bear Came Over the Mountain)
produced by: Daniel Iron, Jennifer Weiss & Simone Urdl
directed by: Sarah Polley
I can't imagine a time where after fifty years of marriage my wife would look at me and not know who I am. That would be devastating. I would obviously want to provide her with the best care possible if her dementia increases but what about me? How would I manage? This may sound selfish but just think about how this would hit you if someone you love dearly was affected by this disease. The majority of my life would have been spent with this person who knows me better than anyone else but now all that is vanishing. That's exactly what position Grant Anderson (Gordon Pinsent) finds himself in as he comes to terms with his wife, Fiona (Julie Christie) being diagnosed with Alzheimers disease. As they both come to terms with this unexpected stage in their life, their challenging history is also brought to light and we see that their marriage wasn't always as cozy as they seem.
Until now, this was a couple who were comfortable with who and where they are in life. Yet as Fiona's memories fade, new ones seem to enter. We get the idea that in their past, Grant may have fooled around with a student during his tenure as a professor. It seems like an event that rocked their relationship but may have been uncomfortably glossed over. Well, it surfaces now as well as other doubts and frustrations. Since Grant still has his faculties, it is he who must now feel the same isolation that Fiona must have at one time felt. He wants to support Fiona in her decision to check herself into a nursing home not far from where they live but he still feels alone and somewhat guilty (both for the affair years ago and for not being able to help her). This decision becomes more real for both of them after Fiona is found after being lost in the snowy outdoors, it's then that they realize that she's going to need care.
For the first time, the couple are forced to undergo a long-term separation that brings pain, confusion and frustration. It's even more painful for Grant when he's told by the facility's administrator Madeline (Wendy Crewson) that new patients must have no outside contact for 30 days, so that they can become acclimated to their new stage of life. At least he's able to confide in Kristy (Kristen Thomson) a nurse who helps Grant deal with this new stage of life with stark honesty. When Grant is finally able to visit Fiona after the orientation period, he shows up with flowers and is devastated to find out that not only has she seemingly forgotten him, but she has transferred her affections to another man. It's up in the air whether or not this man, Aubrey (Michael Murphy) is all there since he's only shown as a wheelchair bound mute patient at the nursing home. Although he seems quite reliant on Fiona as she helps him move around and reads to him, I wondered if it was a ruse.
As the distance between husband and wife grows, Grant must draw upon his love for Fiona to perform an act of self-sacrifice in order to ensure her happiness. Grant continues to visit but is relegated to the rec room sofa on the sidelines as he watches Fiona help Aubrey play board games with the other residents. Side note: if I have to admit myself to a nursing home, I guess I'm heading north to Canada cuz this was the nicest looking facility I've ever seen. Pinsent quietly commands these scenes. His eyes show a man frozen in love with a woman who no longer knows him. He doesn't know what to do but still cannot bare to be away from her. It's almost as if he is afraid that he too will forget her and will be left the strange voyeur in her life.
In an effort to provide for Fiona any way he can, Grant introduces himself to Aubrey's wife when she takes him out of the home due to financial reasons. With Aubrey gone from the home, Fiona is depressed which noticeably deteriorates her condition and Grant knows he is not the man who can provide what his wife needs. He gradually builds a connection with Marian (Olympia Dukakis), the blunt-talking, pragmatic wife of Fiona's catatonic friend. She seems as stuck and lonely as she is, the only difference is he's new to all this. This leads to a brief and awkward relationship for the two ostracized spouses. They need each other, perhaps Marian moreso than Grant since she's dealt with her husband's illness longer than he has but he clearly still loves Fiona.
Clearly and deservedly, Christie is promoted as the mesmerizing star of the film and first-time director/actress Sarah Polley, focuses as much on her beauty as Christie does on her character. It doesn't take much for one to be absorbed by Christie's startling, mature beauty yet Polley keeps the camera tight and close on her magnificent face and those piercing blue eyes as Fiona takes leave of her life and her husband. I get the feeling that Polley is as much in awe of Christie as anyone else who sees her work. But Pinsent is formidable here and the story is just as much about his character if not moreso. It's a role that is just as challenging as Christie's and the two of them work wonderfully together. Until this film, I had never seen or heard of this Canadian actor. I'll definitely be looking to see what he does next.
I gleaned that Canadian writer, Alice Munro is telling a story about hanging on and letting go, and about the mysteries of what binds men and women together. How Polley's screenplay differs from the source is unknown but the filmmaker does take the time to glance back at Grant and Fiona's past as much as their unknown future unfolds. Polley delivers a thoughtful and compelling meditation on the familiar lives older people with this disease are leaving and the frightening lives they find themselves entering. Deceptively simple but wrenching in execution, writer/director Sarah Polley has become a talent to look out for behind the scenes as well as in front of the camera. There have been several films released within the last six years that have dealt with Alzheimer's disease in some manner. I've only see Nick Cassavete's 2004 film "The Notebook" which I really enjoyed but I kinda felt like at times I wanted to see just the older couple currently dealing with the disease instead of flashbacks of their youth. That's one of the many things I like about this film, it has no problem focusing on characters over age 60 and it does so in a real manner. It's a beautiful film.