Dr. Alice Howland, a highly successful Professor of Linguistics at Columbia turns 50 and has flashes of loss in memory as she struggles to remember common words and well known routes. She unwillingly visits a neurologist only to discover that she has a rare condition of early onset of Alzheimer’s which could have been congenital. Shocked at this discovery, she breaks this news to her three children. The youngest of them, Lydia who had a rocky relation with Alice until then, turns soft on her and gets to know her better. The way Alice struggles and her family copes with her rapidly deteriorating memory forms the rest of this movie.
Language:
English
Running Time:
101 min
Rating:
PG-13
Release date:
26 September 2014
Directed by:
Richard Glatzer
Wash Westmoreland
Produced by:
James Brown
Pamela Koffler
Lex Lutzus
Written by:
Richard Glatzer
Wash Westmoreland
Based on:
Still Alice
by Lisa Genova
Starring:
Julianne Moore
Alec Baldwin
Kristen Stewart
Kate Bosworth
Hunter Parrish
Shane McRae
Stephen Kunken
Music by:
Ilan Eshkeri
Shot by:
Denis Lenoir
Edited by:
Nicolas Chaudeurge
Distributed by:
Sony Pictures Classics

What’s Hot

  • Julian Moore plays her age as a 50 year old with such precision that encompasses feelings of confidence as a well educated and successful woman, those of love as the mother of three and those of compassion as the wife of a sincere husband. Her conversations with Kirsten Steward playing Lydia and her emotional breakdowns with the diagnosis of her condition are too realistic and would bring tears to eyes of even the most stubborn hearts!
  • The story has an ingenious mix of emotions and love within even the most distant family members and brought out well in the event of the discovery of a tragic situation. The direction here deserves most of the credit for by the subtle and understated treatment for most of the impactful sequences without resorting to hysterics. To top it all, the movie ends on a nice poetic note to sum up how the entire movie was!
  • The support cast have played their parts as mature sensitive characters in Alice’s family. While Kate Bosworth embodies the tough side of Alice, Kirsten Stewart transitions beautifully from a rebel to a saint and Alec Baldwin has just the right head to deal with all three of them.

What’s Not

  • When Alice gets diagnosed, the most comforting soul is expected to be her husband, but Alec Baldwin’s role remains aloof and puts more importance on financial prospects than what you would expect from a man in his 50s. Though he completely understands his wife’s condition, his minimal involvement in the initial stages after diagnosis is a touch appalling and not very convincing.

Badges

Verdict

Verdict Stamp

A simple tale of an ailing woman could have never been told with such sensitivity without a delicate story or without the presence of seasoned actors like Julian Moore. Surprisingly good portrayals from the younger crop and genuinely skilful direction make ‘Still Alice’ a noteworthy attempt that deserves all the attention it commandeers!