A moving film about two late middle aged people (a composer/conductor and a first violinist) who find each other, fall madly in love, leave their marriages, only to have Martin develop Alzheimer's.The bulk of the film is watching his slow decline, as he slowly disappears, leaving his lover behind. Tremendously sad, yet somehow also a little cold, not as emotionally impactful as I kept wanting it to be. The acting is terrific, but there's something both a bit clinical, and a bit manipulative about it. E.g. Martin's attacks too often come at the (too) perfectly dramatic moments. Also, there's no time spent on the wrenching decision for each to leave their earlier marriages, so why include it? Yet, all that said, it's still a strong, moving experience. A grown up movie about older people in a world with far too few of both.

This was a very real and harrowing film. I went with misgivings since I knew what the subject was about, but fell under the spell cast by director Bille August. This story rings true from the beginning. The film is a lovely love story between Barbara and Martin, played superbly by Viveka Seldahl and Sven Wottter.Barbara, obviously is dealt a blow when the Alzheimer is diagnosed but she proceeds to deal with it in her own terms. Little did she know that her marriage to Martin would turn into the nightmare it did. How do you stop loving and doing for that person you thought about spending the rest of your life with?The Alzheimer turns Martin into a vegetable. His mind is gone. From the brilliant composer and director, he becomes another person completely different from the person we met at the beginning of the film. Most critics in New York keep comparing this film with Iris. It is very unfair, because obviously all Alzheimers cases are different and don't have to reflect in this case, what went in Iris Murdoch's mind. I have to give credit to the director, Mr. August, who has not taken the easy approach and documents the progress in a very dignified manner. All the performances are on key. The extended families of these couple are very strong behind the parents, which is something very rare to find these days.

Despite not doing well at the theaters and not-so-enthusiastic critic response, this movie was nominated for best picture at the Swedish equivalent of the Oscars, Guldbaggegalan. Sadly I think this tells more about what a slow year 2001 was for Swedish films than what a great film this is. Because in my humble opinion it certainly is not anything special at all. Where should I start. It is based on a book and unfortunately this REALLY shows through... Several lines sound as if they were taken straight from a book. And they use words you simply never use in spoken language. The story itself is about an old man who obviously is a composer. He falls in love with a woman in his orchestra and they move together but he gets Alzheimers and it gets really bad very fast. Sounds like fun and games to you? Well I can tell you it sure isn't. It gets really predictable very quickly and what's worse it really doesn't end anywhere surprising. Not good or satisfying in any way. The acting is pretty awful actually. Sven Wolter does a good job portraying someone with Alzheimers, but others like Viveca Seldahl delivers her lines without even trying to put some emotion into it. But worst of all for me, having played in an orchestra for several years, was the silliness of trying to cover up that Viveca and Sven really have never been close to such a thing. They stand out awkwardly clear against the people who know how to play an instrument, and it really ruins those scenes for me. No, get your act together Swedish film industry. We need more movies like Fanny och Alexander. My rating: 2/10.

It is my understanding that when a man and a woman get married, it is because they love one another and promise to be loyal and faithful. Despite the fact that many marriages are no such thing, it is wonderful to see a film that convinces you that it is possible to love someone so much that no amount of adversity can destroy it.That is the essence of this film. It is true that we learn a great deal about a horrible disease, but, more importantly, we learn what true love is. The drama in this film really takes place in the mind and the heart of Barbara, the wife. She must face the changes in her life from the joy of finding true love in her life after a difficult marriage to a life of dealing with a sick husband. We see her, painstakingly, deal with change after change and sometimes she breaks down because of the enormity of the challenge.The second lesson we learn in this film is that love brings a real sense of perseverance. Caring for a sick husband is really no different than caring for a child. A mother normally does not lose her love for the child because he or she acts like a child, but, rather, she perseveres because of pure and simple love.I do not have sufficient words to express the beauty of this film. It rings true.