AWAY FROM HER

Year: 2006
USA: Lionsgate Films
UK: Metrodome Distribution
UK DVD: Metrodome
Cast: Julie Christie, Gordon Pinsent, Olympia Dukakis, Michael Murphy, Kristen Thomson, Wendy Crewson, Alberta Watson
Director: Sarah Polley
Country: Canada
USA: 110 mins
UK: 109 mins
USA Rated: PG-13 for some strong language
UK Certificate: 12A contains infrequent strong language
USA Release Date: 4 May 2007 (Limited Release - New York and Los Angeles)
UK Release Date: 27 April 2007 (Limited Release)
UK DVD Release Date: 17 September 2007

Synopsis

AWAY FROM HER is the lyrical screenplay adaptation of celebrated author Alice Munro's short story The Bear Came Over The Mountain, a beautifully moving love story that deals with memory and its circuitous, enigmatic paths over the course of a long marriage. Beloved by critics and audiences alike when it premiered at the 2006 Toronto International Film Festival, the film marks the arrival of an exciting new female filmmaker in Canadian actress Sarah Polley, here making her feature screenwriting and directorial debut.

Married for almost 50 years, Grant (Gordon Pinsent) and Fiona's (Julie Christie) commitment to each other appears unwavering, and their everyday life is full of tenderness and humor. This serenity is broken only by the occasional, carefully restrained reference to the past, giving a sense that this marriage may not always have been such a fairy tale. This tendency of Fiona's to make such references, along with her increasingly evident memory loss, creates a tension that is usually brushed off casually by both of them. But when it is no longer possible for either of them to ignore the fact that Fiona is being consumed by Alzheimer's disease, the limits of their love and loyalty must be wrenchingly redefined.

DVD EXTRAS

Commentary with Julie Christie