still alice
2015 review number 17:
Still Alice (Drama): 84 out of 100: Based on the 2007 novel of the same name, this absorbing and engrossing movie has a central, standout performance from this year's Academy Award Best Actress favourite, Julianne Moore. Her acting is of the highest calibre in an exceptional drama of the highest standard. Her acting and the story will move you.
Moore plays Alice Howland, a renowned linguistics professor who teaches at New York's Columbia University. She notices that she is forgetting some words. When she sees a neurologist she discovers that she has early onset Alzheimer's disease. This impacts heavily on her family especially her husband John played by Alec Baldwin. Her three adult children, Lydia (Kristen Stewart), Anna (Kate Bosworth) and Tom (Hunter Parrish) must also come to grips with this devastating diagnosis. We see how Alice's life and those around her become affected by this debilitating illness.
Some viewers might call it sentimental but I found this movie to be a genuinely moving experience. Moore delivers a knockout performance that should secure her first Oscar win. She embodies her character with a thoroughly rich display of raw emotions. Her co-stars also provide a valuable insight into how a family is affected by someone with Alzheimer's. Baldwin and Stewart have enough screen time to demonstrate their acting talents.
The novel was written by Lisa Genova who also suffers from early onset Alzheimer's disease so her experiences gain more weight in the screenplay that has been successfully adapted by Richard Glatzer who also co-directed the film with Wash Westmoreland. They direct with sensitivity and purpose, never allowing the film to be overly sentimental. The camera does focus on Moore in many scenes but why shouldn't it, when it's her character who provides the subject material? The interactions between the characters make this film an intriguing and moving experience.
The music score matched the drama of the story with the delicate violin and piano compositions signifying the sadness, fear, confusion and helplessness especially felt by Alice. The cold climate setting also contributes to the general mood of the narrative.
Julianne Moore is so convincing in "Still Alice" that she is probably the main reason why you should see this movie. She is definitely helped by an intriguing story, moving performances from her family cast members and a disease that has dire consequences for all those who are afflicted with it, that you want to see the movie to learn more about how it affects the sufferers and their loved ones.
Starring Julianne Moore, Alec Baldwin, Kristen Stewart and Kate Bosworth
(101 minutes)
Parental advice: Coarse language, adult themes and sexual reference
Additional scene during or after credits: No
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZrXrZ5iiR0o (Movie trailer)
(Reviewed on Tuesday 3rd February, 2015)
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