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| Away from Her | 
 enlarge | Director: Sarah Polley
Actors: Julie Christie, Gordon Pinsent, Olympia Dukakis, Michael Murphy, Wendy Crewson
Studio: Lions Gate
Category: DVD
List Price: $14.98
Buy Used: $3.34
You Save: $11.64 (78%)
New (51) Used (47) Collectible (2) from $3.34
Avg. Customer Rating:  81 reviews
Sales Rank: 6193
Format: Ac-3, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Dvd-video, Widescreen, Ntsc
Languages: English (Original Language), French (Subtitled)
Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Number Of Items: 1
Running Time: 110
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 7.1 x 5.4 x 0.6
MPN: LGED21795D
UPC: 031398217954
EAN: 0031398217954
ASIN: B000T5O48A
Theatrical Release Date: 2006
Release Date: September 11, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
 One of 2007's Best Films February 16, 2008
11 out of 11 found this review helpful
Sarah Polley's impressive directorial debut is a deeply affecting study of Alzheimer's tragic impact on a long-married couple. Julie Christie delivers an exquisite, heartbreaking performance, yet Gordon Pinsent's understated portrayal holds the film together - he is superb. The cinematography of Luc Montpellier adds to the haunting atmosphere. Deserving more awards than it received, "Away From Her" is nothing short of sublime.
Fantastic February 10, 2008
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
I thought this film was great and very well done and Julie Christie certainly deserves the Best Actress Oscar, I would reccommend this film to anyone.
From Lovers To Strangers February 9, 2008
9 out of 9 found this review helpful
"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
Darling
The Old Man and the Sea
SARAH POLLEY, OPUS 1 February 7, 2008
**** 2006. Written for the screen and directed by Sarah Polley, this movie is an adaptation of Alice Munro's Away from Her. Golden Globe earned by Julie Christie. After 44 years of marriage, Grant and Fiona are torn apart by Alzheimer's disease. If you liked this film, it could be a good idea for you to see Richard Eyre's Iris, another wonderful film about this terrible illness.
Well Worth Watching February 1, 2008
8 out of 8 found this review helpful
"Away From Her" is a very good film about the very difficult subject of Alzheimer's. It reminded me of the film Iris for which Judi Dench was nominated for an Oscar and won the British Academy Award. Director Sarah Polley adapted this film from Alice Munroe's short story. She has been nominated for the Oscar for "Best Adapted Screenplay" and won for her screenplay from the San Francisco Film Circle. Polley won the "New Generation Award" from the Los Angeles Film Critics, "Best First Film" from the New York Film Circle and "Breakthrough Film Artist" from Ohio Film Critics. The film is cerebral, showing us the deterioration of Fiona's mind and the incredibly difficult role as her husband Grant must watch the woman he loves deteriorate.
The performances are outstanding. Gordon Pinsent who plays the husband Grant won two Genie Awards, Canada's highest acting awards, as Best Supporting Actor in "Klondike" in 1980 and as Best Actor in "John & the Missus" in 1987. His performance is subtle, controlled, but amazingly deep as the woman he loves slips away from him.
Julie Christie is nominated for an Oscar, which as I write will soon be awarded & the British Academy Award. Christie's Oscar was for "Darling" in 1965. She's been in many excellent films like "Doctor Zhivago," "Shampoo" & Finding Neverland (Widescreen Edition). As Fiona, she plays the various levels of her illness with amazing wit, showing glimpses of the undoubtedly brilliant woman that captured Grant's heart. She has won best acting honors for her performance from film critics circles in Dallas/Ft. Worth, New York, Phoenix, San Diego, San Francisco, Toronto, Washington D.C. as well as the Screen Actors Guild & the National Board of Review.
Olympia Dukakis who won her Best Supporting Actress Oscar for "Moonstruck" in 1987 plays Marian. Marian is married to Aubrey. As the memories from Alzheimer's fade, new friendships and attachments develop. Both Marian and Grant watch as their husband and wife carry on as if they were a couple, not connected to the life that was before. Michael Murphy has had a long acting career that spans films from "McCabe & Mrs. Miller" to "Smokin' Aces." He is amazingly powerful as the wordless Aubrey who pines over being pulled out of the nursing home where his new friend Fiona is. Wendy Crewson, who played the mother in The Covenant and is married to Michael Murphy, plays the administrator at the facility who tries to handle the many difficult feelings of the families with a smile and a firm hand. Alberta Watson who became a favorite of mine in the TV show "La Femme Nikita" has a nice cameo as Dr. Fisher. Kristen Thomson also does a nice job as Kristy. Polley is generous to the supporting players, giving them variety to bring both the location and the nursing home to life. While the film did seem to drag a bit for me, I think it is just because the subject is so emotionally difficult. The film is very well done, well worth watching. It was named "Best Canadian Film" by the Toronto Film Circle. Enjoy!
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