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Sarah Polley's directing feature debut is a brilliant and gracefully wrought study of a long-term marriage being wedged apart by Alzheimer's.

Based on Alice Munro's short story "The Bear Came over the Mountain," Away From Her stars Gordon Pinsent (Grant) and Julie Christie (Fiona) as a couple married for decades, enjoying their retirement together. They have had their rough patches, but their lives are inextricably connected and their relationship is solid.

Contentment is permanently disrupted when Fiona's memory starts to deteriorate. Determined not to saddle him with her declining health, she insists upon going to a rest home - which tears Grant apart. His frame of mind worsens, with guilt about his past behaviour, and when the rules of Fiona's new residence mean that he can't see her for a month.

Eventually when he is allowed to visit it's not clear whether Fiona knows precisely who he is anymore. Their time-tested relationship now seems less important than her doting one with Aubrey, a wheelchair-bound fellow resident. Outstanding performances from Christie and Pinsent equalled by a stellar supporting cast.

Dir. Sarah Polley, 2006, Canada, 110 mins, Cert 15,