The beautiful American Julianne Moore received the Oscar for "Best Actress" for her sublime performance in Still Alice, an endearing drama available on Netflix. Still Alice represents an inevitable and early descent into the loss of memories. The two directors, Richard Glatzer and Wash Westmoreland, feature a talented woman, mother and linguistics teacher. At 50 years old, Alice Howland is rich in a fulfilled existence, until the day she is forced to lose her cognitive abilities on a daily basis.
A dream life
The film has a long start where we take part in a family life. The viewer is integrated into their lives without much surprise.
Alice and her husband John represent a fulfilled and resourceful couple. He a scientist, she is a professor of linguistics, much admired by her professional environment.Parents of three children who are now adults, their relationship is similar to that of a traditional family. A few family reunions, little secrets that come out without leaving too many traces, listening, disagreements, projects… and above all a lot of love. Although the passion for theater of one of their daughter, Lydia (played by Kristen Stewart) does not inspire the family, Alice would like to be interested but it was counting without her busy schedule and her misunderstanding for this "abstract" interest.This image of a member of a close-knit family standing out remains similar to many ordinary movies, comedies and dramas combined.
Heartbreaking news
It is during a conference that the alley towards oblivion opens to her.Thus, after these tens of relatively quiet minutes we witness the unveiling of the plot that will greatly shake up the film.
As Alice presents one of her cognitive experiments in front of an audience of students, a word suddenly escapes her. Either. It must be fatigue or overwork. What if she went jogging after this long day? This is a great opportunity to clear your mind. It is still necessary to find your way in a place that we know well… A new forgetfulness this time more important leads her to no longer know where she is for long minutes. This distressing situation will push Alice to do extensive examinations that will reveal an Alzheimer's diagnosed early. In other words, she has an extremely rare and hereditary form of cognitive impairment.
Disarray, shame, dependence, being a burden… It is all these sensations that inhabited her during this terrifying announcement for this woman characterized by her intellect. How will the disease evolve? Julianne Moore perfectly embodies this phase of questioning that, one imagines, patients have when they learn that they are "condemned" to evolve with it.
Staying dignified
Still Alice will put you face to face with the fight of a woman supported by her family. Although…
Surprisingly, while Alice falters while keeping incredible resources, her husband is far too busy satisfying his ambitious career. It is then his daughter, Lydia, who will take matters into her own hands and devote time to her mother. Time so precious that you have to live every moment so that his memory does not disappear forever from Alice's memory.
Together they contemplate, enjoy, remember, meet and live. Kristen Stewart puts herself in the shoes of a responsible young adult who puts aside her passion judged by her family to refocus on the essentials. And it must be said that this role sticks rather well to his skin.
Alice makes herself admirable in the way she anticipates this "art of losing on a daily basis.This type of Alzheimer's goes very fast and gradually takes over the names of objects as well as those of people crossed. Faced with this situation that displeases her, Alice acts and uses her phone to create questionnaires scheduled daily. What is the name of its first teacher? Where does she live? And even, how many children does she have? At a conference on the disease, Alice testifies and inspires her entire audience by describing herself as "the shadow of herself who tries to be taken seriously".
Still Alice is a drama that is as touching as it is disturbing. We better understand the disease and compassion comes from us in front of the person who has it. It's like someone came to steal pieces of you and your past every day a little more until you had nothing left. And who would we be without our memories? Without word and spirit?
