Viewed – 25 July 0215  pay-per-view

Few can argue the versatility and sheer talent of actress Julianne Moore who I think has come on leaps and bounds over the years to become the new Meryl Streep or Helen Mirren.  This award winning drama could also be the pinnacle of her career so far.

Moore plays Alice, a college professor who is diagnosed with early Alzheimer’s disease, a rare onset of the illness considering she’s only 50.  With her husband and two daughters around for support we watch as the symptoms gradually get worse and worse and she struggles to cope in her life as the person she’s always been gradually slips away.  It’s a hard hitting subject make no mistake, and is portrayed well if you know anything about the disease.  My mother used to work with elderly patients suffering from the disease so as I watched the film with her she marvelled at how accurate it all was.  Moore is simply amazing and heart-breaking, expressing every little detail of frustration and bewilderment as she starts to forget things or lose track of what she’s doing or where she is.   Alec Baldwin is decent as her husband but the casting of two of the blandest actresses currently working (Kate Bosworth and Kristen Stewart) as Alice’s daughters let’s the side down somewhat as they struggle to convey such strong emotions on expression-free, personality-free faces.  Honestly, does Stewart only have one look no matter what she is saying?

Above all else though this is Julianne Moore’s gig and she’s every bit worthy of those Oscar and Golden Globe nods.  The movie portrays a very cruel disease intelligently, finding room for humour amongst the despair and I came away surprised at how much the story moved me.

Verdict:  4 /5