'Still Alice' Review

50/50, Dallas Buyers Club, The Theory of Everything; three films where the lead character is faced with disease. Although very different they are reminiscent of each other in that the afflicted characters are not only trying to conquer their biological afflictions (and in the case of the second film listed, the prejudice that comes with the disease) for as long as they can but they are also trying to remain human beings, striving through or yearning for everyday professional and social tasks so as to not let the disease become their domineering characteristic. For Still Alice this sentiment rings true. In Still Alice Julianne Moore plays Alice Howland, a Columbia University linguistics professor afflicted with early-onset Alzheimer’s disease. Throughout the film her condition worsens and she becomes more dependent on her husband John (Alec Baldwin) and the rest of her family, her intellect as opposed to her instinct and memory and even on technology as she tries to hold onto her identity.

The film is a slow burner; a long fuse that ignites from melancholy into heavy drama. There are moments where this works extremely well. We see Alice’s triumphs offset by reality and her content expression fall into a tones of anxiety, panic and despair. For this congratulations must be given to directors Richard Glatzer and Wash Westmoreland, the vision of cinematographer Denis Lenoir and Julianne Moore’s ability to navigate the Alice’s struggles. Glatzer, Westmoreland and Lenoir are able to pick the right shots at the right time, haze out background when Alice can no longer comprehend her environment and build up a tension that when released hits you with the reality of Alice’s situation like a hammer. This isn’t always the case. Sometimes the fuse is met with a fizzle and there is no great impact. Thankfully this is not the case for the majority of the picture.

Although direction and cinematography make for a vivid and emotionally heightened film, the performances are what elevate Still Alice. Julianne Moore is astounding as Alice. We see her intelligence, her perseverance and doggedness as well as her failures in a complete performance in which Moore’s elegance and subtlety make for a moving transformation as Alice’s condition worsens. Kristen Stewart turns in an effective performance as Alice’s daughter Lydia, an actress on the West Coast. Caring but for the most part absent, Stewart’s chemistry with Moore can be grasped whether they’re in the same room discussing Alice’s condition whilst preparing a meal or on the phone or skype. Alec Baldwin shows himself to be one of America’s most distinguished actors with a winning performance as Alice’s husband John, illustrating that Alzheimer’s takes its toll on everyone involved. It is Moore that shines the brightest however. Even when the dynamic of the Howland family sometimes seems unrealistic and an overused type of shot is combined with an overused type motif from composer Ilan Eshkeri, Moore’s performance of great transitions elevates the film to something stellar. This really is Alice’s film. This is her trying to hold onto everything she loves. Work, education, language and family. At the end of the film, when Alice is under the constant care of her daughter and cannot comprehend wholly the world around her, it is Alice’s love of things that rings true. She is Alice, the disease cannot change her humanity.

7/10