As the once-secular, but caring adult son of an elderly parent who suffered from Multi-Infract Dementia and was called Home by the Lord, I had a lot of personal expectations for this critically-lauded, indie feature film. The oh-so-rich-for-exploration subject of Alzheimer illness is relegated to a foggy, back story here, as the focus instead is on some seniors getting it on w/ each other. This is the best material Ms. Polley can write on the possibilities-rich subject of Death and Faith? The story deserves better moral exploration and values-focused presentation. Why is it that recent feature films mildly addressing Dementia (The Notebook and this film) center around luminous elegant upper-class white women afforded the best nursing home accommodations? Placing an elderly parent in a nursing home is a costly venture and of the many facilities I visited NONE comes close to the set design glory exhibited here... the staff hasn't a care in the world (or a diaper to change) other than to have deep, meaningful conversations w/ the resident's family members. Real life isn't close to like that, just reel life is. The Fiona character goes down as the first Alzheimer victim willingly placing herself into a nursing home! Ask any family member who has had to place a loved one suffering from Dementia into a nursing home and the task is not remotely easy. 'Away from Her' could have gone so much farther in relating the pains, sufferings, and trials of the victims, and family members, of Dementia.
Review of Away from Her
