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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: $3.33
You Save: $11.65 (78%)
New (51) Used (48) Collectible (2) from $3.33
Avg. Customer Rating:  81 reviews
Sales Rank: 5819
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:
 Hey! Academy! What About Pinsent? January 27, 2008
9 out of 9 found this review helpful
It's exceptionally nice to see current world crisis' make an impact on film. Alzheimer's is a worldwide problem that cost billions of dollars in healthcare costs, rips at the fabric of families, and challenges us as a people to come up with ways of handling this mind-killer. And the best way to focus on this problem is to encapsulate it via one couple and show the havoc this disease wreaks. Thus we get AWAY FROM HER, actress Sarah Polley's first time in the director's chair. If it's any indication as to Mrs. Polley's future behind the camera, I'd say we're in for some great cinema from her.
I enjoyed this film for a couple of reasons. First is what I mentioned above about showing world issues. Second is the simplicity of the filming. There are no camera tricks, no lingering shots on falling leaves to indicate the end of one's life, and no easing into how difficult it is to let go of the mind (and eventually their body) of someone you've loved all your life. It's hard, cold and ultimately forces one to deal with situations they never thought possible. And finally I have to mention the acting.
Julie Christie is getting plenty of awards buzz because of her portrayal as Fiona Anderson, an aging woman who seems too young to be getting Alzheimer's. Although I enjoyed her acting immensely, it paled in comparison to Gordon Pinsent's awesome portrayal as Grant, her husband and man she leaves behind.
Pinsent played the perfect role as the equally lost husband, forced to put his wife in an institution designed for Alzheimer's patients and watch her slowly decay and drift from him. Pinsent goes through all of the emotions, from denial, anger and finally acceptance.
Olympia Dukakis plays Marian, a woman who's husband lives in the same institution as Fiona. As Fiona and Marian's husband become too close for comfort for both Grant and Marian, the two are forced together in hopes of connecting again with someone their own age who are experiencing the same horrific life-ending events of their spouses. Dukakis plays her role well and one scene in particular between her and Pinsent will probably make viewers both laugh and cry in the same moment.
My only complaint with Away From Her is that all of the major award groups (Oscars, Golden Globes, SAG, etc.) neglected to nominate Pinsent, while Julie Christie has been showered with them. It doesn't seem fair. The one's left behind -- after Alzheimer's -- pack the most emotional wallop when translating such devastation to film. And Pinsent pulled it off perfectly.
 I wanted to like this film, but... January 22, 2008
7 out of 14 found this review helpful
...it just doesn't seem to be realistic or well written. The choppy sequencing does nothing to add to the story line, and, as another reviewer commented, none of the characters is very likeable. The portrayal of Alzheimer's Disease isn't very typical from my experience. Away From Her is one of those films that you begin watching, hoping a good story will develop...only to find out that you're still waiting for that story an hour into the movie. Overall, I would say this film would be a decent effort for a first-time filmmaker (which it is), but it's nothing near what an Oscar-nominated production should be.
remarkable performance January 18, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
Probably not everyone's choice, but I thoroughly enjoyed this film. Julie Christies performance is remarkable. You live through the emotions and devastation of Alzheimers. Highly recommended for people that enjoy this type of film.
"I should be so lucky" January 15, 2008
8 out of 8 found this review helpful
It's my feeling that Sarah Polley's Away From Her, starring Julie Christie, based on a short story by Alice Munro, can be viewed as a triumph for Polley fans, for Christie fans, or for Munro fans, based on which one you prefer to be a fan of. It's the story of Fiona Andersen (Christie) and her husband Grant (Gordon Pinsent) facing Fiona's unexpectedly young case of alzheimer's, but that description makes it sound like a made-for-tv "brave sick woman" movie. Away From Her, to me, a fan of all three of those women, a Munro triumph most of all, proof that such an adaptation is possible and interesting. Munro gains momentum from scenes that quietly sneak in their details and revel in how unconsciously human they are. An early scene in which Fiona forgets how to pronounce the word "wine" is heartbreaking, but it's also much more than that - it's an indication of her unraveling social decorum. Fiona as a character is much like her hair - large, specifically coiffed, and somewhere on the line of lovely and ridiculous. Grant observes, as Fiona becomes worse and makes a surprising connection with another patient in her treatment facility, that Fiona may not be sick at all, that it may simply be the latest expression of who she is. That detail and thought is pure Munro, and, having not read "The Bear Came Over The Mountain," on which Away From Her is based, I love that the details feel pure to the story - a later, more debilitated Fiona has a simple comment about her house, which she may or may not recognize anymore, and it too is a moment of purity and disquieting ambiguity, and it happens simply by letting Fiona walk around a little. That is where Polley and Christie - and, just as much, Pinsent - have their equal triumphs. This is a wise story about human behavior and long-term love, nailed home by a beautiful set of lead performances and sensitive directions. Its kept from perfection, I think, from being so small scale, and being a little long about it, but it is, however it got there, dead on in its portrayal of a personality slowly draining away.
a movie about alzheimers January 1, 2008
10 out of 10 found this review helpful
my mother suffers from end stages of alzheimers and i always try to watch every movie possible for this desease. this was my 2nd best movie that i have seen. the very best movie is "THE NOTEBOOK". i would highly recommend this movie to any that has been effected with this desease. it is very emotional and julie christie gave an awarding winning performance. it is a must see movie.this movie is about the struggles of putting a loved one in a facility and the stuggles that occur.
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