Sunday, June 17, 2007



Dean and I went to a multiplex in Bellevue (a suburb of Seattle) to see Away From Her yesterday (it was the only place the movie was showing).

The movie was fantastic. I just loved it. It's based on an Alice Munro short story (don't you just love it when an entire movie can be made from a little short story?). Julie Christie, who is stunning, plays Fiona, a woman who is becoming senile from Alzheimer's and decides to check herself into a nursing home. Gordon Pinset (ruggedly handsome old chap) plays Grant, her husband, who continues to visit her each day, even though it becomes obvious she doesn't remember who he is, and has perhaps fallen in love with another resident. It takes place in Canada, where it seems to be always winter. There are lots of scenes of frozen lakes, and snow, and cross-country skiing. It's all very emotional and heart-wrenching, but wonderful.

The huge suburban 11-theater multiplex was just about empty, though. And so it had a really creepy feel, walking through these deserted hallways to find the theater where our movie was playing. It was so quiet you could hear the neon lights humming. The popcorn was stale (left over from yesterday?). Very different from the theaters in our part of town, that are usually jam-packed. Oh well, at least the parking was free.

5 comments:

Montgomery Maxton said...

omg the story of my Grandparents...

Reginald Harris said...

It is a shame that wonderful little films like this are so hard to find. It's playing here at the "arthouse' theater. Folks will go there to see it, but it would be nice to see something like this in truly wide release. And let's push for Julie Christie to get an Oscar nomination!

Pamela Johnson Parker said...

I love that story and can't wait for the film to come to Maiden Alley in Paducah.

And Bravo,Julie!

Unknown said...

I know the Alice Munro story well. It made a deep impression on me -- as do a great many of her stories.

Esther Altshul Helfgott said...

I saw the film and read the Munro story, "When the Bear Comes Over the Mountain." Though each was crafted well, even beautifully, neither movie nor story came close to the reality of Alzheimer's as I have experienced it with my husband and as so many others have experienced it with their loved ones. For real life, visit the Alzheimer's Association website.