Le Second souffle

The movie opens with Kate (Hillary Swank), a classically trained pianist. One night while she's playing Chopin's Polonaise, she finds it hard to keep her fingers moving correctly. When she tune is over, she sees her pinky and thumb slightly twitching. 18 months later, it turns out that Kate has ALS. Bec's (Emmy Rossum) life is a bit of a mess. She's a struggling singer/songwriter, hooks up with random guys for sex, oversleeps, and is not the most reliable of people. She auditions to be Kate's caregiver. Against Kate's husband's - Evan - (Josh Duhamel) objections, Bec is given the job, which proves to be...interesting at first. The two women begin to bond into a real friendship, especially after Kate's marriage falls apart.

The movie was very well done. The acting was superb, especially Swank, who performed a variety of symptoms associated with ALS, from the twitching of the fingers, to the dragging of the legs, to the slurred, incoherent speech, and the coughing attacks. Rossum plays a character very similar to her Fiona character from Shameless - a stranger to wealth, class and refinement. All the same, she has a heart of gold.

I gave this an 8-star rating because I like both Swank and Rossum, and they did a spectacular job in their roles. The supporting cast was good, even though the movie was basically about the journey the two lead actresses go through together. The script was good, as was the directing. My one nitpick about the movie is Bec never would've been given the job of Kate's caregiver to begin with. However, it's not a true story, and aside from that, it was a very good tear jerker of a movie.

Hilary Swank outperforms with an amazing supporting performance by Emmy Rossum. Followed by a great male lead performance for Josh Duhamel. It is a moving and insightful look into the world of an ALS patient. The evolution of their relationship throughout the main character's condition was incredible. This movie delivers an amazing and emotional message that was clearly received. From someone who suffered the loss of a family member to this disease my opinion may be a little biased but this movie gave me a peek into a world unknown to myself. This is truly a staple in the drama genre. I have not seem a home run of a movie like this in many years.

This film tells the story of a woman in her time of her life, whose life is turned upside down when she notices tenors of her hand. The next thing she knows, she is battling the steadily progressive and irreversible disease of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

While the ice bucket challenge raises superficial awareness towards ALS, "You're Not You" really tells people what it is like to have a motor neurone disease. Hilary Swank acts with terrific realism in this film, even down to the changing quality of her voice. The plot is super moving, I lost count the number of times my eyes tear up. To me it's a bit of mystery why she gives Bec a chance to nurse her, but it's very refreshing to see that they strike up an unlikely but deep and lasting friendship that us based on mutual respect and trust. I really enjoyed watching this film.

These two are not just good.. they are great! You know where the story is going, and there are not any surprises. But the way these two outstanding actors portray their characters is something not to be missed. We've seen them before, but it's always more fulfilling to watch them in roles that truly stretch and show their true talent. And it's absolutely incredible how Hillary Swank, as she gets older, she becomes so much more attractive and alluring. She is without a doubt one of the most uniquely gifted talents of her generation (many generations). There are so many celebrity actors in today's world.. but when you think of her, it's not as a celebrity.. but just as one of the best at what she does, and that's wonderful for her audience.

You're Not You (2014)

This is a straight forward drama, and an intense one. There are two main characters who are meant to be opposites in most ways. Kate (Hilary Swank) is wealthy, a successful classical musician, well mannered, and surrounded by friends. Bec (Emily Rossum) is struggling in every way: her half-finished folk-rock songs, her iffy friends, her bills, and her who-cares attitude. It's given from the get-go they will meet, and with the doubts of Kate's kindly handsome husband, Bec begins homecare for Kate, who is diagnosed early in the movie with ALS.

So this is really a story of a privileged woman learning about true friendship and caring, shorn of niceties. And of a troubled woman learning she has real worth and can actually contribute in a way that makes her grow. The two are never quite friends—there are things they just don't know about each other, and communication becomes harder through time— but they are absolutely devoted and bound to each other. This is beautiful and truly moving by the end. Tearjerker alert.

This is also a story about ALS, and how to cope, and how maybe to understand what people might need who are dying slowly of this disease—or any other progressively degrading illness. This too is difficult to watch.

Swank is terrific, and scary in her ability to be that victim just when life is all roses. Rossum comes off at first as not believable. Her antics and extreme disregard for things (the blender scene, for those who have seen it) are planted in the movie to make a point, and it almost made me move on. But hang in there! After half an hour the real movie begins, if you will, and the acting and writing all rise a level up.

It must be said that the husband plays an ongoing role here, and also a believable one. He is truly caring and tender, but also flawed. And so you see everyone has flaws, including Kate, who recognizes them in herself as much as others. Which gives it all the nuancing this movie needed to work.

It works. It isn't a surprising, twisting, drama by any stretch. Rather, it settles into telling us about a part of our real world with sensitive, beautiful detail.