Just got back from seeing Still Alice. Because I am such a fan of Julianne Moore not only as an actress but also as a person, I was afraid her performance in this film was going to be oversold for me. Well, it wasnt. Indeed, it ceased to be a performance at some point and transcended that aspect of acting and came to rest in a kind of behavioral truth. That is what all great acting is: it ceases to be acting. She does something quite remarkable in this role that charts a womans descent into Alzheimers in that she captures how the disease robs a person of her dignity and her grace and does it with such dignity and with such grace. In that alchemic incongruity resides a work of art on her part. Everyone in the film is wonderful. Because Alec Baldwin can be a bit of a blowhard and buffoonish in his self-importance as a celebrity we can forget what a lovely subtle actor he is - just the opposite of his media persona. He too is remarkable in this. Thanks to directors and screenwriters Richard Glatzer and Wash Westmoreland, who based their script on the novel by Lisa Genova. And also thanks to, among other producers, Maria Shriver and also Christine Vachon of Killer Films for helping to shepherd this into being. It could have easily been a sentimental movie but it keenly earns every bit of sentiment contained in it. I was moved to tears by this film. But there were people sitting around me today who were sobbing. They must have or have had experiences with Alzheimers in their families or with others they love. The film was speaking deeply to them. And again: Julianne Moore is a marvel in it.
Posted on: Mon, 19 Jan 2015 04:24:21 +0000
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