"Away From Her"

Quote of the day:
"Literature, like magic, has always been about the handling of secrets, about the pain, the destruction and the marvelous liberation that can result when they are revealed."
--Michael Chabon

Sarah Polley is a 28-year-old actress you likely have seen but don’t remember. She’s had roles in a variety of TV shows and films, including "The Sweet Hereafter," "Last Night" and "Dawn of the Dead."

Her first film as a director is called Away From Her, and it is very good indeed. I will be interested to see what she does next.

If you’ve heard about this film, you may be avoiding it because it features a character with Alzheimer’s Disease. It does. But this is no pity-party-movie-of-the-week, as in “terrible illness but the human spirit prevails.” Way far from it.

There are subtly powerful performances from Julie Christie, Gordon Pinsent and Olympia Dukakis, all of whose depth of experience radiates from the screen. While the setting and situations are realistic and believable, the story is unusual and poignant.

"Away From Her" is a charming, moving and life-filled meditation on memories, meaning and moments that matter.