IMDB describes the plot of Away From Her in very simple terms--
A man coping with the institutionalization of his wife because of Alzheimer's disease faces an epiphany when she transfers her affections to another man, Aubrey, a wheel chair-bound mute who also is a patient at the nursing home.
That summary fails to capture everything that the movie really is, however. The movie features a wife with Alzheimer's but it is about marriage, memory, loss and sacrifice.
The breathtaking Julie Christie plays the suffering Fiona and she plays her beautifully. Not only is Christie physically stunning but the grace and complexity she brings to the character will continue to surprise you throughout the two hour movie. Her articulation of her disease and her resulting sadness will pierce you. You will sit on the edge of your seat and want to look away. But instead, you will stay fixed to the screen and feel your face flush with emotion you don't know how to process. Even more, her memories of the painful aspects of marriage will cut you even deeper. You'll start to hope that she'll lose those memories.--that no memory at all might be better than being plagued by the pain that she has clearly suffered throughout the 40 years with her husband. But in the end you may feel, as I did, that it is her pain that helps you understand the beauty and worth of a lengthy partnership.
This film is tragic and it is not to be handled lightly. It is dramatic and emotion laden--but it is fantastic and cathartic as well.
A man coping with the institutionalization of his wife because of Alzheimer's disease faces an epiphany when she transfers her affections to another man, Aubrey, a wheel chair-bound mute who also is a patient at the nursing home.
That summary fails to capture everything that the movie really is, however. The movie features a wife with Alzheimer's but it is about marriage, memory, loss and sacrifice.
The breathtaking Julie Christie plays the suffering Fiona and she plays her beautifully. Not only is Christie physically stunning but the grace and complexity she brings to the character will continue to surprise you throughout the two hour movie. Her articulation of her disease and her resulting sadness will pierce you. You will sit on the edge of your seat and want to look away. But instead, you will stay fixed to the screen and feel your face flush with emotion you don't know how to process. Even more, her memories of the painful aspects of marriage will cut you even deeper. You'll start to hope that she'll lose those memories.--that no memory at all might be better than being plagued by the pain that she has clearly suffered throughout the 40 years with her husband. But in the end you may feel, as I did, that it is her pain that helps you understand the beauty and worth of a lengthy partnership.
This film is tragic and it is not to be handled lightly. It is dramatic and emotion laden--but it is fantastic and cathartic as well.
Labels: Friday Flicks, marriage, movies
2 Comments:
I had tickets in my hand to see this movie last spring, when it was at the RiverRun Film Fest, alas I handed them off to someone else because I had to work. I might be mistaken, but I think it won the audience award. Nice write up, I will add it to my netflix queue now.
Sounds a beautifully harrowing film...it's now on my list of films to see. Thanks hun. xx
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