What distinguishes Away from Her, and elevates it from the mawkish, is its perfectly chosen cast--especially Julie Christie.
Comment
05/07/07
Away From Her (2007)
94
%
Tomatometer
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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:27-04-2007
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
Reviews for Away From Her
When it comes to Away from Her, the overused, abused adjective cannot be avoided: it is a great film.
05/07/07
For a story with only one possible outcome, [i]Away From Her[/i] is full of twists and turns.
05/05/07
There is real grace in Polley's portrait of a couple that stays together long enough to forget.
05/05/07
As terrific as Christie's performance is, it's the superb Pinsent who's left to register most of the internal emotional turbulence as a reserved man who no longer shares a past with the woman he's spent his life with.
05/05/07
Who knew in actor Sarah Polley -- a persuasive club kid in Go and zombie killer in Dawn of the Dead -- lurked the directorial spirit of an up-and-coming Bergman?
05/05/07
Mostly, it's a subdued, well-shot character study that observes rather than dictates emotions.
05/05/07
A feature film that's often astringent on the surface, yet deeply and memorably stirring.
05/04/07
Does the finest job of any film in painting a believable portrait of aging, capturing the sadness, confusion, anxiety and defiance of the early stages of dementia.
05/04/07
Polley reveals herself to be a true talent. She's an intelligent, sensitive filmmaker who clearly belongs on both sides of the camera.
05/04/07
Every actress who's ever frozen her emotions with Botox should be forced to watch this film before returning to the plastic surgeon's office. It's the lines in Christie's face -- deeply etched, deeply earned -- that make her so heartbreakingly lovely.
05/04/07
With luck, [more] skills will develop in Polley, and we'll have the opportunity to watch them. For now, though, we have Christie to look at. And the heartbreaking slow-motion tragedy of a vibrant woman being buried alive under the shifting sands.
05/04/07
Away From Her is poignant, wise and unafraid -- just the sort of film for a young person, or any person, for that matter, to make.
05/04/07
Top CriticSo beautifully, delicately and completely about relationships, their strengths and weaknesses and unavoidable changes, that the illness aspects of the story, key as they are, play secondary roles.
05/04/07
It's all good. Actually, it's way better than good. This is a film for anyone who's almost given up on the movies.
05/04/07
In a refreshingly direct, unassuming manner, Away From Her considers two great human mysteries: the persistence of love and the workings of the brain.
05/04/07
Top CriticIn its wobbly whole, Away from Her lingers as a hazy, blurry account of fading moments.
05/03/07
One of the most confident and unforgettable directorial debuts I have ever seen.
05/03/07
Away From Her is cause for celebration if only because it stars the great Julie Christie in her first lead role in many years.
05/03/07
How invigorating it is to see portrayed such a range of complex, intelligent women, each of whom is surviving in an independent orbit rather than joined at the hip in some gooey movie idyll of sisterhood.
05/03/07
Latest News for Away From Her
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January 09, 2008:
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December 19, 2007:
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