Away from Her

"It's never too late to become what you might have been."

2007 1h 50m EN

👍

7.0

SOLID

★7.0TMDB · 252

DramaRomance

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Fiona and Grant have been married for nearly 50 years. They have to face the fact that Fiona’s absent-mindedness is a symptom of Alzheimer’s disease. She must go to a specialized nursing home, where she slowly forgets Grant and turns her affection to Aubrey, another patient in the home.

“It's never too late to become what you might have been.”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Gordon Pinsent
Grant
Julie Christie
Fiona
Michael Murphy
Aubrey
Olympia Dukakis
Marian
Kristen Thomson
Kristy
Wendy Crewson
Madeleine
Alberta Watson
Dr. Fischer
Thomas Hauff
William Hart

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Sarah Polley
Writers: Sarah Polley, Alice Munro
Languages: English
Countries: Canada, United States of America, United Kingdom

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $3.0M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Made its money back 3.1× over at the box office.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 19 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 3 countries: Canada, United States of America, United Kingdom.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Sarah Polley, shot by Luc Montpellier. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Original score by Jonathan Goldsmith. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor David Wharnsby shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Gordon Pinsent and Julie Christie and Michael Murphy carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Sarah Polley directs. Luc Montpellier behind the camera. Jonathan Goldsmith scores. David Wharnsby cuts. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in Canada, United States of America, United Kingdom. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Shot for just $3.0M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
2Made its money back 3.1× over at the box office.
3Released 19 years ago.
4International production across 3 countries: Canada, United States of America, United Kingdom.
5Directed by Sarah Polley, shot by Luc Montpellier. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by Jonathan Goldsmith. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor David Wharnsby shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Gordon Pinsent and Julie Christie and Michael Murphy carry the top of the cast.
9Marketing tagline: "It's never too late to become what you might have been.".
10IMDB entry: tt0491747 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
11Classified under 11 themes, including "canada", "love of one's life", "nurse", "forgiveness".

The technical file

Cinematography: Luc Montpellier
Original score: Jonathan Goldsmith
Editing: David Wharnsby
Production design: Kathleen Climie
Costume design: Debra Hanson
Makeup / hair: Réjean Goderre
Sound: Jane Tattersall
Runtime: 110 min · 1h 50m
Status: Released
Budget: $3,000,000
Box office: $9,194,283
Return: 306% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG-13
IMDB: Away from Her (2007)

Awards

Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television Award for Best Motion Picture

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

Sarah Polley

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2025-02-23
★ 7/10
I think “Fiona” (Julie Christie) knows the writing is on the wall when she goes to top up some glasses for her dinner guests and she can’t recall what’s in the bottle. Husband “Grant” (Gordon Pinsent) is dreading what has to come next as they both realise she needs professional care rather than stay in their beautiful but impractical wintery home. One of the more onerous conditions of her residency is that for the first month she can’t receive visitors and though she is a bit more stoic about that, he is struggling after 45 years of marriage to come to terms with that. Muddle through he does, though, and eagerly anticipates the day when he can see her again. His arrival at the home doesn’t quite go to plan as he discovers she is playing bridge with a new friend “Aubrey” (Michael Murphy). She is friendly enough but what’s clear is that she can no longer quite place him in her life. What now ensues sees him sensitively try to reintroduce himself whilst she obliviously continues with her new friend and new life, gradually deteriorating. Meantime, he meets “Marian” (Olympia Dukakis) who is married to “Aubrey” and in similar situation, largely unrecognised by the man she has loved for many years. Without compromising their other affections, the two start to find solace in each other’s company and start to realise that they have lives to live too - but always in a shadow. Christie delivers poignantly here but it’s actually Pinsent who has the hardest task as his character gradually loses all the points of reference from his adult life: his best friend, his lover - and yet she is still there, pleasant and polite, in front of his eyes. Dukakis is a fine character actor and she, too, imbues her character with a sense of sadness and reservedness as the inevitable begins to take firmer shape. The writing takes us into the heart of something ghastly but avoids sentimentalising the story. It introduces a little of the vagaries of the science - an imprecise and fluid collection of theories, and makes it’s point with just an hint of optimism for those left to constantly and repetitively pick up the pieces as the days get no better. Despite the doctor extolling the virtues of communal care and living, I still looked at the facility and wondered if these places don’t actually do more stifling than providing, and that’s a testament to an ensemble effort from some chirpy residents and from a direction that treats us as observers for whom this could easily resonate one day. It’s a tough watch but worthwhile, I’d say.

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