Away from Her, a film by Sarah Polley

As movie titles go, Away from Her is a little weak to market. I have had trouble remembering it and had to look it up even after seeing the movie, which is itself very memorable. The snow scenes of this Canadian film are beautifully filmed and the story is gripping. With some thought I do see how the title is appropriate to this film based on a short story by Alice Munro, as the main character struggles with living without his wife. The short story is "The Bear Came Over the Mountain." If there is a reference to bears in the short story, it was left out of the movie.

Away from Her is the story of Grant (Gordon Pinsent), a retired literature professor, who has been married to Fiona (Julie Christie) for forty-five years. She was always energetic, and he adored her. When her Alzheimer's disease advances and she decides to enter a care center, he is despondent. Pinsent is excellent in the role. Ebert and Roeper gave the film two thumbs up.

Neither Baker & Taylor nor Amazon indicate when Away from Her will be released on DVD. The film has only been in limited distribution for a month. I hope libraries notice when it is, for it would be an excellent choice for a film discussion group. It might be paired with the reading of The Story of My Father by Sue Miller, for another viewpoint on Alzheimer's disease.

See Away from Her if you can.