Still Alice

"I am a person living with Early Onset Alzheimer's, and as that person I find myself learning the art of losing every day. Losing my bearings, losing objects, losing sleep, but mostly losing memories."

Dr. Alice Howland (Moore) is a renowned linguistics professor at Columbia University.  She is happily married to John Howland (Baldwin) who is also a professor at Columbia, and has three children: Anna (Bosworth) a lawyer, Tom (Parrish) a doctor), and Lydia (Stewart) an actress.  Around her 50th birthday she starts to forget things, at first it is a word during a lecture and eventually she gets lost during her daily run around the campus.

She begins to see neurologist Dr. Benjamin (Kunken) who diagnoses her with early onset familial Alzheimer's disease.  The news is devastating to Alice who values her intelligence and memories.  As the disease takes hold, can the family stay together?


In 2007 Lisa Genova, who has a Ph.D. in neuroscience, wrote the fictional novel "Still Alice."  It was her first novel, which she self-published.  The book became a bestseller and has been translated into 20 languages.  In 2013 the story was adapted into a play by the Lookingglass Theatre Company in Chicago.  In 2014 Big Indie Pictures produced the film adaptation.  And it was released by Sony Pictures.

I have not read Genova's book, but the film is extremely powerful.  The writing and acting are good.  Julianne Moore, who won an Oscar for this role, is incredible.  She fully inhibits the role and takes you on a difficult journey.  Despite Moore's big win (she swept the acting awards for his role), the film was not nominated for any other awards.  The film really focuses on Moore's Alice, and understandably so... and it is impressive how much they delve into the disease.  The rest of the cast are fine, Kristen Stewart is better here than her usual hollow acting.  She isn't great, but better than usual.

It is a powerful film that is hard to watch at times, but it is worth the watch.


Still Alice (2014) 101 minutes
Rating: PG-13 for mature thematic material, and brief language including a sexual reference
Director: Richard Glatzer & Wash Westmoreland
Starring: Julianne Moore as Alice Howland
Alec Baldwin as John Howland
Kristen Stewart as Lydia Howland
Kate Bosworth as Anna Howland-Jones
Hunter Parrish as Tom Howland
Shane McRae as Charlie Jones
Stephen Kunken as Dr. Benjamin