Away from Her

(Canada, 2006, 105 minutes)

A retired professor finds himself at a loss when his wife of 40 years develops Alzheimer's and checks herself into an assisted-living home where she attaches herself to another patient. Sober, sensitive romantic melodrama of love in old age whose devastatingly emotional first half is somewhat let down by a more conventional and less successful second; even so, there are many pleasures in the sensible handling and uniformly excellent performances.

A Hanway Films release. A The Film Farm/Foundry Films presentation/production, in association with Capri Releasing, Hanway Films and Echo Lake Productions; produced with the participation of Téléfilm Canada, Canadian Television Fund, The Movie Network, Super Écran, Astral Media/The Harold Greenberg Fund and Ontario Media Development Corporation; developed and produced in association with Movie Central; produced in association with Canadian Broadcasting Corporation; with the assistance of Ontario Film and Television Tax Credits. Starring Julie Christie, Gordon Pinsent, Olympia Dukakis, Michael Murphy, Kristen Thomson, Wendy Crewson. Directed by Sarah Polley; produced by Daniel Iron, Simone Urdl, Jennifer Weiss; screenplay by Sarah Polley, from the short story by Alice Munro, «The Bear Came Over the Mountain»; music by Jonathan Goldsmith; director of photography (Technicolor), Luc Montpellier; production designer, Kathleen Climie; costume designer, Debra Hanson; film editor, David Wharnsby.