A SONG FOR MARTIN
"A tender and compassionate portrait of a couple whose relationship
is ravaged by Alzheimer's disease...Directed by Bille August with
unflinching honesty and meticulous attention to character and dramatic
structure, this Danish-Swedish co-production is a remarkable achievement...From
its invitingly upbeat overture to its pathos-filled but ultimately
life-affirming finale, 'Martin' is a masterfully conducted work."
--Lael Loewenstein, The Los Angeles Times
"Mr. Wollter and Ms. Seldhal give strong and convincing performances,
but neither reaches into the deepest recesses of the character to
unearth the quaking essence of passion, grief and fear. Even when
the characters are in tears, a certain intimacy is lacking. In 'Iris,'
Jim Broadbent and Judi Dench uncovered the raw psychological marrow
of an intense, quirky union. 'A Song for Martin' is content to remain
a more generalized case history ... As much as 'A Song for Martin'
hurts, it doesn't quite go the distance." --Stephen Holden, The New
York Times
"... an almost unbearably morbid love story about being trapped in
the relentless torment of Alzheimer's disease....The uncanny performances
of Ms. Seldahl and Mr. Wollter reflect their real-life marriage, which
ended with her death from cancer shortly after the film was completed.
As the French say, it is to cry." -- Andrew Sarris, The Village Voice
"Bille August's exceptionally well-made, well-acted 'Martin' has just
one little problem: No one will want to see it...A relentlessly authentic
depiction of Alzheimer's disease but without some of the commercial
gloss of the similarly themed 'Iris'...Real-life marrieds Sven Wollter
and Viveka Seldahl give superb performances as the couple...." --Jami
Bernard, The New York Daily News
"Fine performances from the two principals drown in the torrent of
heavy-handed tragedy flooding Bille August's film about the devastating
effects of Alzheimer's disease on a marriage... this slow-moving Swedish
film offers not even a hint of joy, preferring to focus on the humiliation
of Martin as he defecates in bed and urinates on the plants at his
own birthday party." --Megan Turner, The New York Post
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