Movie Review Still Alice

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2014 – Spoiler alerts. A beautiful, often harrowingly realistic look at a young woman’s struggle with her Familial Alzheimer’s Disease. Alice (Julianne Moore) is a linguistics professor with three children, who learn that they may inherit the condition too. Alice uses her intellect to help her hold on to her most cherished memories as long as possible, but gradually it is a battle she loses, with her knowledge that her daughters love her the last memory she will retain. The performances are naturalistic and honest. Alec Baldwin is great as Alice’s husband as is Kristen Stewart as the actress daughter who struggles with her mum failing to remember who she is. Moore deservedly took the best actress Academy Award and many more accolades besides, and the film is highly praised by Alzheimer’s societies. Alice’s speech to the Alzheimer’s Society is deeply moving as is every moment but the film avoids sentimentalism and pity which makes it all the more real. Arthur Chappell