Away from Her

“Away from Her” Assignment

I. Summary of Movie:

a. Give a summary of the plot and characters and the story that unfolds in this movie. Give a detailed description of the main characters’ personalities, culture, socioeconomic and historical contexts, their relationships, set the stage of “who they are” when the movie begins, and then tell the story of what happens over the course of the film.

The movie “Away from Her” is the moving love story between two people, Fiona and Grant Andersson, who find their 50 year marriage shattered by Alzheimer’s disease. Fiona Andersson is a soft spoken, well mannered, understanding loving wife. Her demeanor is gentle, poised, and graceful. Grant Andersson is steadfast, strong man who has an established career as a university professor. His devotion to his wife is unmistakable though the shamefulness of his past is apparent. The retired couple lives in a small, quaint rural town in Brant County, Ontario. They enjoy a simple life as a part of middle class America. When we first meet Fiona her memory is just slightly starting to fade and with each occurrence of a forgetful thought or misplaced household time, such as the putting the cooking pan in the freezer, both Fiona and Grant seemingly shrug off the obvious – Fiona is experiencing signs of Alzheimer’s disease.

As the disease progresses it becomes more obvious that they can no longer ignore Fiona’s fading mental health. Surprisingly it is Grant, not Fiona, who is reluctant to accept that there will come a time when Fiona will need to live in a facility better suited for her ailing mental needs ultimately leave his side. After an episode of compete memory loss, Fiona finds herself disoriented and miles away from home. Fiona is forced to make the difficult and life changing decision to move to Meadowlake, a nursing home equipped to care for individuals with her condition. Fiona’s decision to move it met with reluctance from Grant but the toughest part for Grant...