Staying Connected

Still Alice is a movie that I wanted to see very much because of one reason: Julianne Moore.  Julianne Moore has been doing great work for a very long time, and I think she is probably my favorite actress.  I would easily put her on a “Mount Rushmore” of greatest actresses ever.

Still Alice is the story of a linguistics professor who gets diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.  The thing that I love most about this film is that it educates you on what it is like to struggle with this disease.  This is a disease that not only affects Alice, but her family as well.  While this story is heartbreaking, there is something rewarding about watching Alice refuse to give up. 

Julianne Moore plays Alice Howland.  Much like The Theory of Everything, we see Alice start to struggle with Alzheimer’s at the beginning of the movie.  There are a couple times during the course of the film, there are a couple times where it feels like Alice is using Alzheimer’s so that she can get her way.  Her own youngest daughter even tells her that it is not fair of her to do that.  Alice always delivers the perfect response:  the fact she has this disease is not fair.  Life is not fair.  Watching the character of Alice deteriorate throughout the film is jarring, and that is thanks to the acting of Julianne Moore.  She is perfect in the role, and it was wonderful to see her finally get up on that Oscar stage.

I have been a fan of Alec Baldwin for many years.  He can do anything, whether it be comedy or drama.  He plays John Howland, Alice’s husband.  This is probably the most genuinely wholesome character Baldwin has played.  John is very understanding of what is happening to his wife.  However, he struggles with making her a priority because he is a workaholic and sometimes his emotions get the better of him.  I would have liked to have known a little bit more about the character (I’m still not sure what his job is), but Baldwin displays a wonderful dramatic piece of acting, and the chemistry he has with Julianne Moore is great as well.  I do not think I have ever seen him this good.

I have never been a fan of Kristen Stewart….not ever.  Personally, I do not think she belongs anywhere near the movie business.  That being said, I was pleasantly surprised to see that she was actually quite good in the film.  This proves that, given the right director, a not-so-good actor/actress can really shine.  Kristen Stewart plays Lydia Howland, Alice’s youngest daughter.  Lydia is an actress living in California who is not exactly making it, and her mother wants her to get a “real job”.  However, Lydia stands up to her mother and tells her she is doing what she loves.  It is because of this conflict that they do not always get along with each other.  Kristen Stewart is very good at playing someone who bottles up their emotions rather than letting them out.  It is nice to see her challenge herself with her roles.  I cannot say that I am necessarily looking forward to what she does with her career, but seeing her actually act was nice to see.

Richard Glatzer and Wash Westmoreland directed Still Alice.  I was sad to learn of Glatzer’s death, and quite honestly this made me want to see the movie even more.  I loved that the camerawork is used to visually represent what Alice is going through.  When Alice is struggling to remember things, Julianne Moore is in focus but everything around her is blurred.  Also, when Alice goes to see her neurologist for the first time, the camera is on Julianne Moore the entire time.  I loved this because it really shows what it is like to be a patient sitting in that chair and receive this kind of news.  This movie really tells us what it is like to be in Alice’s shoes, and that is thanks to the great direction.

Still Alice is a very emotional and educational movie to watch.  I cannot say that this movie is for everybody.  You also have to be in the right mood to watch it because it is quite a struggle to get through, and I say that as a good thing.  This is not a movie that you watch on a movie night with your family.  This is a powerful film with equally powerful performances.