Away From Her (2006) - Review and Analysis by Scott Wood for Critical-Film.com

Away from Her A film review by Scott Wood For Critical-film.com   There was a time, once upon a time, when I thought I was a man of the male gender. I thought that I had a penis and testicles. I had the ability to admit when I was wrong. I didn't ovulate, or have a set of tits. I didn't sit down and wipe when I had to pee. And I sure as shit didn't cry at romantic, sad parts of romantic, sappy chick flicks.   Well, all of that changed the other day. The last part anyway.   Actually this goes back to about two weeks ago when I saw a trailer for Sarah Polley's “Away From Her” on my DVD copy of “Exterminating Angels” (the lesbian sexy-fest French flick; I feel the need at this point to specify), and astounded myself by how much it affected me. I felt genuinely terrible afterwards, as though someone had just punched my soul in the stomach. The trailer haunted me for two weeks before I got the gusto to pick myself up a copy, and it took me a couple of days after that before I had the courage to watch it. I was at serious risk of losing what was left of my self-esteem (and trust me, there wasn't much left anyway) and about forty minutes in I horribly lost the bet.   I was crying so fucking much, that I had to turn the movie off, eject the disc, put it back in its case, and place it back in the cabinet behind a closed door where I couldn't see it. I am ashamed to admit it, but I am doing so anyway. That is how much I trust you.   To be fair, calling “Away From Her” a sappy chick flick is not in any way doing it justice. It is an exceptionally well made picture. Well acted, and sensitively directed by Polley. I didn't know that she had it in her. The story is unique, and yeah, it's just good all-around. Take it from someone who has been there, and seen that and sometimes walks away with emotional baggage, but has never been the type of person to cry at a movie. This picture created a chemical reaction within the workings of my brain, and I suspect that I will never be the same again.   I realize that I am being vague as to the film's content, and this is intentional. I will say that it deals with Alzheimer's disease and handles it genuinely, and that is as far as I am willing to go. This is (as it is the way I approach all of my writing), the way I would prefer to have this particular film presented to me as a potential viewer.   I am also aware that I have not listed precisely the reasons why “Away From Her” succeeds. Reason being, that I simply cannot. There are several flaws, such as a needless complexity to its storytelling. And the picture's second half isn't as effective as its first. But the simple fact of the matter is that the film wants to be emotional, beautiful and sad. Not only does it succeed at doing these three things, but for once from my perspective, it does so in spades.   (Four Stars)   This review was provided in HTML format, as your browser is not capable of displaying flash content. To experience Critical-Film.com the way it was meant to be seen, please download the flash player from <a href="http://www.adobe.com/shockwave/download/download.cgi?P1_Prod_Version=ShockwaveFlash&promoid=BIOW">Macromedia</a>.