Still Alice (2014)

Based on the novel by Lisa Genova, this film follows the lives of a close-knit family pushed to near-breaking point by tragedy, and earned an Academy Award for lead actress, Julianne Moore.

Alice Howland (Moore) is a linguistics professor at Columbia University, and has enjoyed great academic success with her textbook 'From Neurons to Nouns', which has quickly become the most-used text by institutions worldwide.

When she starts to forget words and concepts in her lectures, and gets lost one day while jogging around campus, she makes an appointment with a neurologist, Dr. Benjamin (Stephen Kunken).

After a series of tests and scans, it emerges that Alice - who turns fifty at the beginning of the film - has a rare form of early-onset Alzheimers Disease which is genetically inherited.

Alice (Julianne Moore).

Distraught, she finally opens up to her family - eldest daughter Anna (Kate Bosworth), son Tom (Hunter Parrish) and youngest child Lydia (Kristen Stewart) - urging them to be tested, as the disease is genetic. Anna - who is trying to get pregnant via IVF with husband Charlie (Shane McRae) - turns out to have the affected gene. Tom doesn't have it, and Lydia - a struggling actor living in LA - chooses not to know.

Alice's deterioration increases by the day. Always by her side, her husband John (Alec Baldwin) is ever supportive. But it is daughter Lydia who seems to be the most affected by her mother's diagnosis, and the two of them grow closer than they have ever been before.

The screenplay, written by co-directors Richard Glatzer & Wash Westmoreland - adapted from Genova's novel - is, in a word, brilliant. Every single character is filled with their own conflicts, both internal and external, and the reality of the story and drama experienced by the characters is intense and palpable. There are occasional moments of humour, but overall, the story is a tragedy, but one that shows the strength of familial bonds and love, and the power of the human spirit.

John (Alec Baldwin) and Alice (Julianne Moore).

The score has been masterfully composed by Ilan Eshkeri. The power of the score is twofold: there is a theme that plays at several points throughout the film (a relatively simple piano theme), and there are moments where the music is clearly reflecting the intense psychological ups-and-downs of Alice's personal struggle. The aforementioned piano theme changes ever so subtly over the course of the film, which also reflects the changes in the lives of all the characters, most strongly the changes and deterioration of Alice's faculties.

Denis Lenoir's cinematography is beautiful; it helps that the landscapes of the location shoots are incredibly photogenic. But his command of light and dark, and contrast thereof, is magnificent. There are several moments where the camera transitions to Alice's point-of-view, and these become shakier and more unsettling as the film goes on.

But it is clearly the performances of the cast that make this film as powerful and affecting as it is. Julianne Moore is amazing in the titular role, and performs with such tenderness and realism that I found myself being drawn into the story from beginning to end. The high standard of her craft was acknowledged when she was not only nominated for, but won, the Academy Award for Best Actress. Not only that, but she earned the so-called Quintuple Crown: Academy Award, Golden Globe Award, Screen Actors Guild Award, Critics' Choice Award and the BAFTA Award.

Lydia (Kristen Stewart).

There are brilliant performances from all the rest of the cast, but the other clear standout of this film is without a doubt Kristen Stewart, who is magnificent as Lydia, the daughter who becomes closer than ever to her mother while supporting her in her struggle. Before seeing this film - first on the big screen when it was released, and subsequently on many repeat viewings - I had only encountered Stewart in her portrayal of Bella Swan in the Twilight series. It is this film that in my mind establishes her as a serious actress, and a talent powerhouse; her role is so different from anything else I have seen her in before or since, and she treats the material with such deep respect, bringing her character to life in the most realistic way.

Directors Richard Glatzer & Wash Westmoreland have made a truly beautiful film here, one that I have now seen more times than I could care to count (and will probably watch for many more times in years to come). Their handling of the subject matter is respectful above all else, and they both display knowledge and experience of appropriate pacing, tension and drama.

You absolutely must see this film as soon as possible if you haven't (or even if you have).

10 out of 10.

Colette (2018)

Set in France at the turn of the 20th Century, this film tells the true story of Colette, an author who desperately wants to be recognised in her own right.

Colette (Keira Knightley) is married to Willy (Dominic West), a womanising celebrity in Paris, known across France as a gifted writer. The problem is, he hasn’t written a single word of anything he is known for; he merely contracts ghostwriters to write everything for him.

Once he discovers that Colette has a way with words, it isn’t long at all before he demands that she pen his latest project: a novel that will catapult his name into the annals of great literature.

Wanting to please him more than anything, she agrees, and the resulting work - Claudine at School - becomes an overnight bestseller, necessitating the need for multiple sequels, adaptations, endless merchandising deals, and more.

And yet Colette never receives any credit for all her hard work. Willy continues to take all the glory for himself, much to the chagrin of his wife.

I can’t really say any more about the plot without spoiling anything for you, the viewer, so will instead move on to a few other points worth mentioning.

Firstly, the production design (by Michael Carlin) and costume design (Andrea Flesch) are absolutely impeccable. I did not for a second doubt that I was observing life in 19th Century Paris (and surrounds). Everything we see on the screen adds to the overall atmosphere, and there are no disappointments in either of these categories.

Secondly, the performances of the cast, which to say the least, are divine. Knightley - in the title role - truly shines at every moment. She has come a long way in her career, and it wouldn’t surprise me in the slightest if we don’t see her accepting an Academy Award in the very near future.

West also gives a beautiful performance as Willy, and all the scenes between the two of them are positively electric, full of raw emotion, yet handled with just the right amount of subtlety and nuance.

The music (while slightly anachronistic in parts) is perfect in every instance. There isn’t a lot of score in the film, but where there is, it is truly inspired, and perfectly suits the action on screen, or the emotion of the scene which it supports.

The script (by Richard Glatzer, Rebecca Lenkiewicz and director Wash Westmoreland) is also superb. The dialogue is very British (appropriately, as this is a British-made film), and though I would classify the film as a drama, there are many laugh-out-loud moments in the script. A large proportion of the dialogue feels like it is straight from the wittiest of British comedy, and allows for brief interludes of tension-relieving laughter through the serious drama of the film.

An honourable mention must go to Fiona Shaw, who plays Colette’s mother, a role she handles so well that it is natural to assume the two of them have a long and touching history together.

A beautiful film that ought to have been more recognised that it has been (particularly with the upcoming Academy Awards), this is a truly beautiful work of art. It may not be completely perfect in every respect, but it was certainly an experience to watch.

7 out of 10.