Still Alice would be a Lifetime movie or a very special episode of the East Coast/NYC, colder version of Parenthood if Julianne Moore’s magnificent performance and the clever direction that visually reflects Alice’s mental state did not elevate. The family is in that socioeconomic sweet spot that rarely worries about money, lives in a large family home in NYC (????), is professional successful andattractive. Dun dun DUN!!!! Tragedy strikes. Alice is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, and she loses everything that she loves about herself.
Basically it is a personal apocalypse story or a psychological horror movie, but one reason that I love Bates Motel is the practical approach to mental problems, but is absent in Still Alice: how much will all of this cost me; how can I afford it and who will care for this person? Hiring a caretaker is expensive! The one realistic element of Still Alice: the unofficial female tax in the majority of most families. Instead of sharing the responsibility throughout the family, the unstated rule or assumption is that one female relative will have all the caretaking responsibilities and subordinate her other goals so the other family members, usually the men, can focus on their careers and travel. Hopefully people will become more conscious of this dynamic, and it will change in the future. Disclaimer: of course the aforementioned statement does not apply to every family.
If you are a Julianne Moore fan, I would highly recommend Still Alice, but if the subject matter does not appear to you, skip it.