Away From Her

Sarah Polley’s exquisite adaptation of Alice Munro’s short story “The Bear Came Over the Mountain” provides a tremendous, touching showcase for two phenomenal performers at their best.

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Retired married couple Grant (Gordon Pinsent) and Fiona (Julie Christie) live comfortably in a house in the country, but their contentment is permanently disrupted when Fiona’s memory starts to deteriorate. Determined not to saddle Grant with her declining health, Fiona insists upon going to a rest home — a choice that only causes Grant more pain. Though plagued by the notion that Fiona may be tormenting him for past misdeeds, he forges ahead, resolved to ensure his wife’s comfort even as it causes him anguish. “A heartbreaking masterpiece … [Polley] emerges here as a director who is in calm command of almost impossible material” (Roger Ebert).

Content advisory: coarse language, sexual language