Away from Her | |
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![]() Theatrical release poster | |
Directed by | Sarah Polley |
Screenplay by | Sarah Polley |
Based on | "The Bear Came Over the Mountain" by Alice Munro |
Produced by | Daniel Iron Simone Urdl Jennifer Weiss |
Starring | Julie Christie Gordon Pinsent Olympia Dukakis Kristen Thomson Michael Murphy Wendy Crewson |
Cinematography | Luc Montpellier |
Edited by | David Wharnsby |
Music by | Jonathan Goldsmith |
Production companies | Capri Releasing Echo Lake Productions Foundry Films Hanway Films The Film Farm |
Distributed by | Capri Releasing Pulling Focus Pictures Lionsgate Films (US) |
Release dates |
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Running time | 110 minutes |
Country | Canada |
Language | English |
Box office | $9.1 million[1] |
Away from Her is a 2006 Canadian independent drama film written and directed by Sarah Polley and starring Julie Christie and Gordon Pinsent. Olympia Dukakis, Michael Murphy, Wendy Crewson, Alberta Watson, and Kristen Thomson are featured in supporting roles. The feature film directorial debut of Polley, it is based on Alice Munro's short story "The Bear Came Over the Mountain", from the 2001 collection Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, Marriage.
The story centers on a couple whose marriage is tested when the wife begins to develop Alzheimer's and moves into a nursing home, where she loses virtually all memory of her husband and begins to develop a close relationship with another nursing home resident.
Away from Her premiered at the 2006 Toronto International Film Festival, Sundance Film Festival and the Berlin International Film Festival. It was theatrically released on May 4, 2007, and garnered critical acclaim, with critics praising Christie's performance and Polley's screenplay and direction. The film received two nominations at the 80th Academy Awards: Best Actress (for Christie) and Best Adapted Screenplay (for Polley). It also won seven Genie Awards, including Best Motion Picture.