Still Alice

 STILL ALICE

Directors : Richard Glatzer & Wash Westmoreland

Year : 2015

Genre : Drama

Rating : ****1/2

 

All the emotion and power of 'Still Alice' can be encapsulated in one line - ''I wish I had cancer''. In any movie, this piece of dialogue would feel forced, emotionally manipulative and above all used in incredibly bad taste. However, upon watching Richard Glatzers and Wash Westmorelands last movie together, this potentially inflammatory line actually seems completely justified. 

The film, based on Lisa Genovas best selling 2007 novel tells the story of Alice Howland, a 50 year old linguistics professor who is suddenly struck down by early onset Alzheimers. Julianne Moore portrays the central character of Alice and as has been reported in every other review written of the picture, her Oscar winning performance is without a doubt, pitch perfect. While I loved Rosamund Pike in 'Gone Girl' and Felicity Jones in 'The Theory Of Everything', no actress of last year deserved an Academy Award as much as Julianne Moore - and an overdue Academy Award it was at that. She delivers a stunning performance that rings of nothing but truth, honesty, pain and determination; something of a companion performance to Eddie Redmaynes similarly Oscar winning portrayal of Stephen Hawking in the aforementioned 'The Theory Of Everything'. It would be easy to say that the awards season loves movies about disability, illness and overcoming adversity so 'Still Alice' would be a prime candidate for Oscar glory. But the truth is that, despite this long held convention, Moore delivers not only the best performance of her career but also the best performance of any actress of last year and deserves all the awards she can get.

Through her eyes and body language, we are confronted with the fear, desperation and overwhelming isolation that Alzheimers causes and anyone who has had to watch someone suffer from Alzheimers or any neurological disease will immediately identify and recognise the various stages of degeneration that the character of Alice goes through. From the gradual loss of basic vocabulary to the intense agoraphobia and feeling of abandonment in a once familiar environment, 'Still Alice' places right in the shoes of someone dealing with the precipitous decay of memory and identity and it is not nice at all. There are moments in the film in which Alice will casually walk into a room and it is immediately very clear that she has suddenly forgotten where she is or where she is going to. The fear shown at these points in Julianne Moores eyes is utterly palpable and heartbreaking and I did find myself at points being somewhat overcome by the raw emotion and power of her performance. 'Still Alice' is not an entertaining watch but thanks to Julianne Moore, it is certainly a rewarding one.

Unlike other similarly themed pictures about memory loss such as 'Iris' or 'Before I Go To Sleep', 'Still Alice' solely centres on the way in which the disease affects it's victim rather than the way the illness affects the lives of those close to the afflicted. This makes the movie feel that much more insulated and stifling and while the supporting cast which includes Alec Baldwin, Kate Bosworth and the terrific Kristen Stewart all deliver completely naturalistic and accomplished performances, Alice's slow atrophy remains the central focus; resulting in a final act which is inevitable, incredibly upsetting but ultimately true.

While Julianne Moore is incredible in front of the camera, the amount of dedication and resilience shown behind the camera is just as astonishing. The director Richard Glatzer was suffering from (and recently died from) motor neurone disease while making the movie and the comparison between his cinematic protagonist and his own affliction is more than apparent. Maybe 'Still Alice' was a form of therapy for Glatzer in his final days but I am so happy that he was alive to reap the benefits of his hard work and watch his most personal and best film earn the accolades and respect it truly deserves.