Alice Howland (Julianne Moore) knows that she’s living on borrowed time. She’s well aware of what fate awaits her having been diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s disease and seeing those whose minds have been ravaged by it, their vacant eyes disconnected from the past and unable to interpret the present. She jogs and watches what she eats, the care she’s devoted to her physical health now a cruel joke as she will no longer be able to consciously enjoy her later years, instead imprisoned by them, fated to be a burden to her family. Alice is fully aware that she will soon become a member of the living dead and despite precautions she may take to prevent this, she knows there’s nothing see can do about it.
Perhaps the most haunting moment is the one that showcases Moore’s ability in the best light. Well aware of what lies ahead of her, Alice records a short movie on her computer, leaving simple instructions for her future self to follow if the direst of circumstances occur. Months later, she does find it and at this moment, Moore’s skill is on full display as we see Alice, addled and confused, gazing at her past self, fully lucid on the computer screen. How far the character has fallen is driven home in an instant as Moore creates an indelible moment that fully captures the tragedy of Alice and the millions of others that fall victim to horrors of Alzheimer’s.
Chuck's Movie Picks 