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Reviews Counted:137
Fresh:129
Rotten:8
Average Rating:8/10
Consensus: An accomplished directorial debut by Sarah Polley, Away From Her is a touching exploration of the effects of Alzheimer's, in which the tender wisdom of Polley's script is beautifully complemented by a wonderful performance from Julie Christie.
Theatrical Release:May 4, 2007 Limited
Box Office: $15,830,046
Synopsis: Canadian actress Sarah Polley makes an impressive directorial debut with AWAY FROM HER, a film adapted from the Alice Munro story "The Bear Came Over The Mountain." The plot concerns the way in... [More]
Starring: Julie Christie, Olympia Dukakis, Gordon Pinsent, Michael Murphy
Director: Sarah Polley
Polley, borrowing from a story by Alice Munro, and maybe some of its wisdom, gives us more. Here, time rewards compromises and commitment to a flawed arrangement, and we get a rare portrait of the intimacy that can come with endurance.
As this intimate, beautifully observed film unfolds, you realize that the story's themes are relevant no matter what age you happen to be.
Sarah Polley's sad, wise and simply dazzling directorial effort beams with warmth.
Away From Her deals with a subject that easily could have turned maudlin. But the performances in Away From Her are pitch-perfect throughout, and Polley never begs for an emotional response she doesn't try to earn.
Top CriticUpon seeing Away From Her again, I'm content with my sense memory. I'm even more pleased with how much of this fine film's nuance and detail feel fresh.
Watching Grant and Fiona, you may see your own loved ones again in your mind's eye. Anyone who has gone through this kind loss knows the immeasurable value of that.
Away From Her isn't just a portrait of Alzheimer's. For a generation that doesn't have a lot of marital role models, it's also a lyrical portrait of what it means to stick with a person for the long run. There are no easy answers.
A moving meditation on what love looks like after it's had more than 40 years to grow. It's a love with deep scars, but roots that go deeper still.
Love has rarely seemed as fragile and precious as it does in Away From Her...
Strong performances from the inimitable Julie Christie and the lesser known Gordon Pinset can't compensate for the overly-sentimental reasoning behind a husband's inability to make peace with his wife's Alzheimer's disease.
It's a gorgeous acting job from Christie, striking those moods of frustration, depression, and infirmed calm so vividly.
This is a graceful, astonishingly brave film from actress Sarah Polley, making her directorial debut.
Maybe the point of this Alzheimer's movie is not to devastate the emotions of an audience
... less a drama about Alzheimer's disease than a cinematic poem of love and loss.
In Away From Her, four of the best actors in the world turn material worthy of their talents into the best movie of the year so far. The result is moving the way the best-written literature can be, telling us something about ourselves.
Top CriticIt's Christie who places this powerful love story about the cruelties of aging within hailing distance of Leo McCarey's sublime Make Way for Tomorrow.
Top CriticAway From Her is a film of piercing clarity, one that knocks you out over and over again with its beauty and generosity.
Heartrending, elegant and restrained, Away From Her is a wonderful showcase for not just Christie and the rest of its powerful cast, but for Polley's multidimensional skills.
A wise and tender Alzheimer's drama.
Bergmanesque and beautiful, set in a wintry landscape fitfully lit by one woman's flickering awareness and one man's long-term, stubborn love, Away from Her is one of the most remarkable and moving love stories the movies have recently given us.
Top Critic
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