Still Alice

This review may contain spoilers!

This is an awe inspiring performance with a leading actress who really stuns. I would give Still Alice an 8/10.

Still Alice is a masterfully informative story about the trauma of living with early onset Alzheimer's disease, frankly it's just a brilliant look into living with the disease as well as the impact upon friends and family. The score to this film was really impactful as it fluctuated and moved in tempo with the lead's bouts of illness. The cinematography was also incredible, it was simple but effective in that we saw the camera focus so intently upon the lead character. We saw her entire progress through her illness due to that camera work. I also think a lot can be said for the editing which jumped between making scenes linger to show her getting lost within her own mind to abrupt jump cuts for the sudden impact of being pulled out of that. I think it was a highly intelligent film.

Kate Bosworth, who played Anna Howland-Jones, was really good in becoming a family member who didn't know how to deal with her mother's illness effectively; you came to dislike her for this but the talent was in Bosworth not turning her character into a bad character. Alec Baldwin, who played John Howland, was a really great gradual performance of character development; his attempts to help but his ultimate lack of support really grounded him as a character. Stephen Kunken, who played Dr. Benjamin, was really a good supporting role; his support and contribution to the story was really quite enjoyable.

This movie was without a doubt owned by Julianne Moore's performance of Alice Howland. Her intense portrayal of Alzheimer's and the progress of the disease is incredibly humbling. There is one scene where I think you can especially see her incredible work which is when she gives a speech to an Alzheimer's group. It was so powerful and so much effort had been put into it by her quite clearly that I was incredibly impressed.

The film was let down by it's pacing; this movie was slow and it felt like it. There was elements of the film that made scenes feel boring or that damaged your connection to the plot as an audience member.

Shane McRae, who played Charlie Howland-Jones, was a character that lacked screen presence and was really only present to enhance Bosworth's performance. Hunter Parrish, who played Tom Howland, was a really underdeveloped character out of all the children; you certainly cared about him least as a character within the film. Kristen Stewart, who played Lydia Howland, was very clearly not trying to give a diverse performance; her emotional range as an actress just did not vary at all.