I've always felt that the reason why the Canadian film is so well-received is that it uses a new type of story to showcase Alzheimer's, which is an overused subject. In this film, Fiona, who has Alzheimer's, is completely different from the patients who appear in other movies of the same theme. She is neither away from home all day, leaving her family looking around, nor unkempt and incoherent. She plays cards with friends, appreciates good-looking books, and her social skills are not impaired at all. She always dresses well, speaks courteously, and appears on the screen in the most elegant manner. When most people see Fiona, they don't think she is a patient, because the biggest impact of Alzheimer's disease on her is actually to make her forget everything in the past, including her husband Grant who has been in love with her for 44 years, and then to start a new life in old age. And the reason why British actor Julie Christie won the best actress in many European and American film festivals for her role as Fiona, I think, is because she played a patient so gracefully.
However, I think Gordon Pinsent's better performance in the lead actor Grant than Julie Christie has been unfairly ignored by the critics. First of all, Pinsent's inner drama is far more than Christie's. Christie only needs to be restrained, elegant, and then fall in love with another man, but Pinsent's role has several levels of psychological changes. The first is to separate from his wife who has been with him for 44 years. This is at least two psychological states for Pinsente to perform. On the one hand, he is worried about whether an accident will happen to his sick wife, and on the other hand, he has to adapt to a lonely life. After seeing his wife again, Fiona had completely forgotten him and fell in love with another man. At this time, Grant's inner activity was even more violent. He wanted to doubt Fiona's actions now, until he gradually understood and finally let go. . This was a quite conflicting process of psychological transformation. However, Grant only used his expression and tone to let the audience understand his psychological state. The most violent reaction he made was to turn around and flee most of the time after seeing that his wife was in love with someone else. In the hospital, the expression on his face is still very firm, but the audience can see his weak heart at the moment from his firm expression. Pincent's rather restrained but expressive performance should make him as affirmed as Christie.
In fact, Christie is the only one who deserves recognition in this movie. Female director Sarah Polley is making a feature film for the first time. At only 28 years old, she has a more realistic view of life, that is, how to overcome all difficulties and make her life better. She is very human yet rational in her presentation of Grant and Fiona's love. It's not like "The Eraser in the Head" arranges the old couple who are deeply in love to cry and die. Of course, this is related to age. After all, it is more funny to let the couple in their 70s play the scenes that only young people have. , but isn't the parting scene that the director arranged for them full of young people's passion? The two ended their 44-year marriage by having sex in a nursing home.
Sarah Polley always uses a very quiet way to show the whole story full of changes, not only in the way of telling the story, but even the place where the whole story takes place is a snowy and quiet Canadian town, all the intense emotional conflicts are in Finished in silver wrap. However, it is this contrast that makes people feel more and more insignificant. No matter how painful things are, no matter how deep feelings are, they can't have any impact on this world. Just like Fiona and Grant who have been in love for 44 years, as long as they get sick, they can become strangers. .
However, life has to go on and, like Grant, knowing that the best partner for Fiona at the moment is the man she fell in love with after her illness, he can help Fiona stay with the person she likes . And Grant himself, find the right partner and live a new life. Perhaps the highest state of love is to make the person you love happy, and at the same time make yourself happy, even if the two do not live together. Sarah Polley uses a theme full of humanity throughout the film, which makes "In the Dark" so brilliant. From this point of view, Julie Christie is the only person who performed well in this film?
View more about Away from Her reviews
