Review: Overlooked ‘Away from Her’ deserves recognition

Directed by: Sarah Polley

Starring: Julie Christie, Gordon Pinsent, Olympia Dukakis, Michael Murphy, Kristen Thomson, Wendy Crewson

Rated: PG-13

2007 was a pretty good year for movies. The box office numbers were up 4 percent from 2006. Grosses were tabulated at $9.7 billion.

More importantly for lovers of the art, there were a number of great movies released – from the animated instant classic “Ratatouille” to the intense epic “There Will Be Blood” to the enchanting “Waitress.”

Academy Award time gives movies released earlier in the last year a healthy second-run period, which the studios love.

Julie Christie has been nominated (and many say will win) in the Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role category for her work in Sarah Polley’s “Away from Her.” The film was released in May and made it to Springfield as part of The Moxie Cinema’s Passport Series.

“Away from Her” simply slipped by me at the time but is now available on DVD, and it is one of the best movies of 2007.

Anyone who has seen a loved one drift away in the murky sea that is Alzheimer’s will appreciate “Away from Her” all the more, but the film’s power doesn’t depend on the viewer’s personal knowledge of the subject. The performances and Polley’s script and direction connect in the way that has always made film such a powerful medium.

Christie is still a radiant, natural beauty, and she affects the look in the eye that those who know Alzheimer’s will immediately recognize.

As Fiona, Christie is an Alzheimer’s victim who is lucid enough, in the beginning, to realize something is amiss. She puts a frying pan in the freezer, can’t remember the word “wine” and has the searching look in her eyes that signals something is wrong.

Gordon Pinsent, an actor who was not familiar to me before this film, matches Christie’s performance scene-for-scene. As Fiona’s devoted husband, Grant, his torture is palpable.

It’s Fiona’s idea to check into Meadowlake, a nursing home with a strict “no visitors/no phone calls” policy for the initial 30 days. Gordon is not sold on the idea; after 44 years of marriage,¬ he is fearful of being separated from his wife. But Fiona is firm and checks into the facility.

When Grant is finally allowed to visit, he finds Fiona’s condition has “progressed,” a term that he loathes. He’s an English professor and realizes the irony in the word.

“I seem to be disappearing bit by bit,” is how Fiona describes her condition.

Grant finds that his wife has also taken a special interest in a fellow patient, Aubrey. They are having what amounts to an Alzheimer’s-induced infatuation/love affair. Her memory of her marriage to Grant begins to fade, and she treats her husband as someone who seems to be courting her.

Grant’s devastation is as progressive as Fiona’s disease. He befriends Aubrey’s wife, Marian. They commiserate and eventually consummate their relationship. It’s a powerful scene with implications beyond the obvious.

Polley, at 29, is best known as an actress (“Dawn of the Dead,” “The Secret Life of Words”) and has written and directed a handful of short films. “Away from Her” is her feature-length debut, but it seems like the work of a seasoned pro. She manages to sidestep all of the clichés which plague endeavors such as this (think “made for Lifetime TV”) and delivers an insightful, powerful film about a subject that touches all too many lives.

Stay for the closing credits. Polley chooses a song that runs under that is a stunning, absolutely apropos choice.

It’s a tough call whether Christie will get the Oscar. Her closest competition is from Cate Blanchett for “Elizabeth: The Golden Age.” My bet is Christie will win – and she deserves it. Her performance is heartfelt, utterly believable and was surely emotionally taxing.

Jim Wunderle owns Wunderle Sound Services and is a Springfield freelance writer and musician. He can be reached at info@wunderlesound.com.