MovieChat Forums > Still Alice (2015) Discussion > Hard to watch

Hard to watch

posted 9 years ago by khruzek
5 replies | jump to latest

Having dealt with a parent with Alzheimer's Disease I found this very difficult to watch.

Julianne Moore did an excellent job playing Alice.

I highly recommend you watch if you have friends or family dealing with a loved one that has the disease. It is hard on the person, especially when they are in the early stages, and realize what is in the future for them.

But later on, it's much harder for the family and loved ones caring for the Alzheimer's patient. It's a 24x7 job, and heartbreaking to see your loved one slowly slip away.

Once you see this movie, you will have a new appreciation for caregivers, and patience with them if they seem to be having a bad day. Unless you have been through it, you have no idea the toll it takes on a family.

Good movie. I see why Julianne won a Awards for the role. One of her best acting roles to date.

[–] jharmon64 9 years ago

She was amazing.

I really enjoyed it and as to the disease, I've only had friends who've dealt with this.

Seems like a 'different kind of' 24/7 job (or toll taker) than cancer, which I lost both my parents to.

[–] zwiltsh 9 years ago

"Hard to watch"

Yes, very difficult. It was disturbing to watch her deteriorate. Julianne was just terrific in this. The scene where she forgets where the bathroom is was so so sad. A very good film.

[–] NelsonVanAlden 9 years ago

Very hard. I cried multiple times. The acting from Moore and Baldwin was excellent. I broke down when Alec had his daughter come live with her while he was going to Minnesota. He told his daughter "you're a better man than me." I lost it at that point.

[–] goldensister 9 years ago

Most definitely. I lost my Mother to this horrid disease two years ago, but it wasn't until I saw this movie yesterday that it dawned on me that my Mother lost her ability to speak during the last weeks of her life. My family and I were so engrossed with all of her other care (she was in diaper, had a catheter, was no longer able to walk -- had round the clock in-home nursing care) that I never realized she no longer spoke to us. I was suddenly overcome with such profound sadness.

[–] Kris_AB 9 years ago

It's amazing, strange, and surprising what we miss noticing sometimes. I visit my grandmother at her nursing home occasionally and my mother (her daughter) visits almost every day. Because she sees her every day, some changes seem gradual or barely noticeable (my grandmother had a brain stem stroke almost a decade ago and has some level of dementia as well). So I'll point something out after the visit, like "Hey, she doesn't ask for her car/ask to drive anymore" and my mom realizes that for the first time and tries to remember the last time she did ask for that (used to be constantly/multiple times every day, to the point of it upsetting her).

Sorry for your loss.