Still Alice

Co-Writers/Co-Directors Richard Glatzer’s and Wash Westmoreland’s Still Alice is a courageous film, tackling the subject of Alzheimer’s disease.

Julianne Moore turns in an astounding performance as a 50-year-old linguistics professor at Columbia, who comes down with the early onset of the disease.  Moreover, her rare form is “familial,” meaning it can be passed on to her three children.

Two test and one is positive for 100% surety she will, someday, get it and the third doesn’t want to know.  So, the filmmakers have loaded the dice to show the complete tragedy of this debilitating condition.  

Moore could not be better at depicting every stage of the descent into oblivion that afflicts her character.  But, she is not alone in turning in a great performance.  Both Kristen Stewart and Kate Bosworth show up to support Moore and, in doing so, demonstrate their own talent.

Cinematographer Denis Lenoir and Editor Nicolas Chaudeurge, also, support the actors and the overall production, expertly.

This film is not for the timid.  It is gut-wrenchingly sad and, sometimes, hard to digest. But, the prevalence of disease touches such a great percentage of the population that it behooves us all to have the understanding Still Alice provides.

I give Still Alice a 4 out of 5.