Still Alice

A brilliant performance by Julianne Moore manages to overcome some melodramatic pitfalls in Still Alice, a heartfelt and heartbreaking drama that nevertheless feels like it might be a better fit on cable television than the big screen.

Moore’s performance, however, deserves to be seen on a grander scale, as she portrays a woman fighting to preserve her strength and dignity as her mental capacity begins to disintegrate as a result of early-onset Alzheimer’s disease.

Alice is a renowned linguistics professor at Columbia who decides to visit the doctor after a few episodes of forgetting words or directions. She later questions the diagnosis of a neurologist because of her relatively young age.

Still, once her symptoms worsen, her condition puts a strain on her family, including her supportive husband (Alec Baldwin), and three grown children – one of which is an aspiring actress (Kristen Stewart) whose career path is a source of friction. As Alice struggles both at work and at home, she starts a downward emotional spiral of denial, grief, acceptance and eventual resignation to her fate.

Moore is on screen in nearly every scene, and she excels especially in the quieter moments, when the lingering camera causes her to capture Alice’s frustration as much through body language or facial expressions as she does through speeches or verbal outbursts. Her performance inspires sympathy more than pity, which isn’t an easy task under the circumstances.

The screenplay by directors Richard Glatzer and Wash Westmoreland (The Last of Robin Hood), based on a novel by Lisa Genova, indulges in some contrivances, not the least of which is her profession that causes not only the discovery of her affliction to become more pronounced, but its progression to intensify, as well. However, the film’s exploration of family dynamics feels more genuine and thought-provoking, with regard to collectively providing sensitivity and care for a middle-aged mother amid a sudden health crisis without abandoning individual goals.

Although the structure of Still Alice feels generally formulaic, the filmmakers deserve credit for not trivializing the plight of Alzheimer’s victims, providing phony inspiration, or conveying false hope. The film is neither hopeful nor inspirational, which helps to make it more impactful.

Rated PG-13, 101 minutes.