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Jan 13, 2015 By Shawn Hazelett Web Exclusive

Part of what makes Alzheimer’s disease so terrifying is how mysterious it is. Its cause and cure are unknown, and while the eventual result is determined, the speed of its advancement is not, preventing any sort of day-to-day trust. It feels like an especially cruel affliction to someone like Alice, a linguistics professor who has devoted her entire life to accruing knowledge. She’s at the apex of her career when things begin feeling amiss. The initial symptoms are barely distinguishable from everyday mental lapses, but a particularly jarring episode forces her to see a neurologist. Testing eventually reveals the worst, setting her down the uncertain path of losing her most valuable possession.

Still Alice isn’t for those looking for a light movie-going experience. But while it’s bleak and incredibly serious, it mostly avoids cheap sentimentality, managing to educate without becoming an after-school special. Alice’s regressions are stepped and noticeable, but are each met with a triumph. Like when she’s able to comprehend and analyze a play, or when she develops a clever way to keep her place when giving a speech. Like Mike Nicholl’s adaptation of Wit, writer/directors Richard Glatzer and Wash Westmoreland strive to highlight the strength and dignity of a person fighting to maintain both. Julianne Moore’s best work comes in the middle stages of the disease, negotiating a continual loss of awareness with an uncorrupted warmth and intelligence.

sonyclassics.com/stillalice/

Author rating: 6.5/10