Away from Her

I realised today that one of the films nominated for an Oscar is exactly the type of film that Shri Mataji is describing when She asks, “Why don’t they make movies about love after marriage?”.

In the case of this film, it is love after forty years of marriage. The film is Away from Her. It is a Canadian film. It is directed by Sarah Polley, based on a short story by Alice Munro and starring Julie Christie and perhaps this country’s greatest actor, Gordon Pincent. (Julie Christie is nominated for best actress and Sarah Polley for best adapted screenplay – a tough category.)

The film is about a married couple slowly distanced by Alzheimer’s disease. It is a
story of love in its deepest expression, not a story about infatuation or attraction.

“I never wanted to be away from her,” the husband remembers, now finding that he is, as her memory fades.

Anyone who feels that Canadian films are weak, anyone who feels that filmmaking is a superficial medium, anyone who has seen too many fighting pirates and so-called “romantic comedies,” should have a look at this. This is the real thing. Young or old, you will cherish the people around you.

Away from Her (released in 1997) is available on DVD.

Richard Payment

(Photograph: yorku.ca)

Add comment February 24th, 2008