[Henry Gale]

Little Sarah Polley can write and direct.
From all the positive things I was hearing I knew I was in for a good film today.
Away From Her has so much going for it.
Moments into the movie the camera is closely caressing Julie Christie’s face. It was so good to see this woman we’ve loved for decades still looking wonderful. Lots of 20 something’s are gorgeous; by age 66 you’ve earned whatever face you’ve got and Julie has definite grace.
Fiona (Christie) and Grant (Gordon Pinsent) are 20 years into their comfortable retirement when Alzheimer’s disease begins taking away pieces of her mind.
After researching the options Fiona insists and Grant reluctantly agrees to check her into a nursing home.
What follows brings them in contact with another couple, played by Michael Murphy and Olympia Dukakis.
Interestingly, Murphy and Christie worked together in McCabe & Mrs. Miller (1971).
I highly recommend this film.

[Michael Reuben]

This is one of the best films of the year so far. Hasn't anyone else seen it?

I'll try to come up with something to contribute to this thread. If there's any justice (and the studio does its promotional job) we'll be seeing Julie Christie back at the Oscars next year.

M.

[Jose Martinez]

It's on my must see list. Hopefully by this weekend I'll get to see it in the theaters before it's gone.

[Jose Martinez]

I finally had the chance to see this film and it is one of my favorite films this year so far. Sara Polly is a truly gifted film-maker. However, Julie Christie is just amazing. Just give her this year's Best Actress Oscar right now. Gordon Pinsent deserves to be nominated as well. Not the emotional rollercoaster I was expecting but was on the edge of tears a few times. I thought the ending was beautifully done.

[MTanner]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jose Martinez

I finally had the chance to see this film and it is one of my favorite films this year so far. Sara Polly is a truly gifted film-maker. However, Julie Christie is just amazing. Just give her this year's Best Actress Oscar right now. Gordon Pinsent deserves to be nominated as well. Not the emotional rollercoaster I was expecting but was on the edge of tears a few times. I thought the ending was beautifully done.

I agree about Pinsent - he was outstanding and should be nominated. Christie, too, was fantastic. A really affecting film; effective mixture of pathos and comedy (even if I felt uneasy about some of the attempts at humor). The actress who played the nurse - the one Pinsent talks to - was also very good. A beautiful film ovrall.

[Henry Gale]

A real life example of the film story in today's news.

By Joan Biskupic, USA TODAY
WASHINGTON — Retired Justice Sandra Day O'Connor's husband, who suffers from Alzheimer's, has found a new romance, and his happiness is a relief to his wife, an Arizona TV report reveals.
The report, which quoted the couple's oldest son, Scott O'Connor, focused on Alzheimer's patients who forget their spouses and fall in love with someone else. Experts say the scenario is somewhat common.

Offering a glimpse into the private life of a woman who has remained on the public stage since her Supreme Court retirement in 2006 to care for her husband, the report spotlighted John O'Connor, 77. He and the woman, referred to only as "Kay," live at a Phoenix facility for people with Alzheimer's.

"Mom was thrilled that Dad was relaxed and happy and comfortable living here and wasn't complaining," Scott, 50, told KPNX-Channel 12 in Phoenix in a story that aired Thursday. The station is owned by Gannett, as is USA TODAY.


Scott compared his father to "a teenager in love" and said, "For Mom to visit when he's happy … visiting with his girlfriend, sitting on the porch swing holding hands," was a relief after a painful period.

The O'Connors, who have three children, met at Stanford Law School and married in 1952. John O'Connor left a partnership at a Phoenix law firm to come to Washington with his wife in 1981. He worked for D.C. law firms but was limited in his ability to take on matters that could come before the justices.

As her husband's disease became more difficult to handle, O'Connor retired.


Peter Reed, senior director of programs at the Alzheimer's Association in Chicago, said the frequency of Alzheimer's patients forming new romantic relations is hard to estimate. "But the underlying causes of this are fairly common," he said. Though patients lose their cognitive abilities and experience mood changes, "one of the things that doesn't go away is the need for relationships."

"Justice O'Connor is certainly to be commended for … raising awareness and helping to reduce stigmas," he said.

[Holadem]

I didn't read the above 'cause I don't want to be spoiled. But thanks for bumping this thread, I never did make it to this one and then completely forgot about it. Netflix here I come.

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H