AWAY FROM HER (2006,
Please jot down answers to the following questions and answer three in detail. One of the three longer answers should be to the final question.
1. Why do you think the original title of the Alice Munro short story, “The Bear Came Over the Mountain,” was changed to Away From Her? What are the advantages of each?
2. Discuss Grant and Fiona’s home environment—the house, the outdoors. To what extent are they and their marriage characterized by it?
3. Now contrast that environment with the environment at Meadowlake, both physical and social. What kind of place is it?
4. In comparing the short story to the film, you’ll notice that the story uses a very straightforward use of time—it begins at the time that Grant and Fiona first meet, then proceeds in a linear fashion to the end. The film, however, treats time in a much more fragmented way, using flashbacks and flash-forwards to tell its story. It begins ¾ of the way into the story, then flashes back. What is the effect of this change in narrative strategy? Why do you think Polley chose to do it this way? Do you approve?
5. What are some of the other changes that you notice between story and film? Overall, would you call this a faithful adaptation?
6. Discuss Fiona. What are her primary characteristics? Do these characteristics change as she moves further into dementia?
7. Discuss Grant. What motivates him throughout the film? What does he come to understand, if anything, over the course of the film?
8. Now discuss Marian. What kind of person is she? What are the ways in which she is like and unlike Fiona? What does Grant see in her?
9. How about Kristi the nurse? What is she like, and what role does she play in the film?
10. There is a fair amount of “subtext” in this film. We come to realize truths about these people and their relationships as the film goes on. Give some examples. How are these truths revealed?
11. Discuss the film’s ending. What is happening there? Does it work as an ending to this film?
12. On one level, this is a film about a family coming to terms with the middle stages of Alzheimer’s. Does it work on that level? From what you know, does its portrayal seem accurate? In what ways does it move beyond its genre (the “disease” movie)?
13. How does the music help to capture the mood of this film? Try to be specific.
14. This film has been widely praised for its acting. What are some examples of great acting here? Can you point to specific moments or scenes?
15. Compare/contrast the five reviews of the
film. Which was your favorite, and why?