Live in the moment.|Dec. 05, 2014|USA|101 Min.|PG-13
Genre: Drama
Description: Still Alice, a 2014 film, follows the story of Alice Howland, a linguistics professor at Columbia University. Celebrating her 50th birthday with her husband John, a physician, and their three adult children, Alice’s life takes a turn when she begins experiencing memory lapses. After forgetting words during a lecture and getting lost on campus, she is diagnosed with early-onset familial Alzheimer’s disease.
Her elder daughter, Anna, and son, Tom, undergo genetic testing to determine if they will inherit the condition, while her younger daughter Lydia, an aspiring actress, chooses not to be tested. As Alice’s memory deteriorates, she reminisces about her mother and sister, who died in a car accident during her teenage years. To cope, she memorizes words and sets daily personal questions on her phone. She also prepares a video message for her future self, instructing her to take her own life with hidden sleeping pills if she can no longer answer the questions.
As the disease progresses, Alice struggles with giving lectures, eventually losing her job. She faces humiliating moments, such as urinating on herself after getting lost in her vacation home. She even fails to recognize Lydia after watching her perform in a play. Meanwhile, John is offered a job at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, but Alice pleads with him to delay the move, which he finds impossible.
At her doctor’s suggestion, Alice delivers a heartfelt speech at an Alzheimer’s conference, using a highlighter to track her progress through the text. Her speech earns her a standing ovation. However, her condition worsens, and she begins to struggle with the daily questions on her phone. At one point, she loses the phone and becomes distressed, only for John to discover it in the freezer a month later. In a heartbreaking moment, Alice fails to recognize her daughter Anna when visiting her newborn grandchildren.
The film poignantly portrays Alice’s journey through the challenges of Alzheimer’s disease, highlighting the emotional impact on her and her family.
Cast director: Richard Glatzer
Cast actor: Julianne Moore, Alec Baldwin, Kristen Stewart, Kate Bosworth, Shane McRae, Hunter Parrish, Seth Gilliam, Stephen Kunken, Erin Darke, Daniel Gerroll
Original name: Still Alice