Le second souffle

Classical pianist Kate (Hilary Swank) finds herself in a life-changing situation when she is diagnosed with ALS. 18 months after the diagnosis, Kate and her husband Evan (Josh Duhamel) interview college student Bec (Emily Rossum) in the hope of employing her as Kate's carer. Bec's lack of experience and poor timekeeping are of concern to Evan, but Kate sees something in her and decides to offer her the job. What follows is an employer/employee relationship that is often rocky, but one that proves unforgettable for both women.

The set-up at the start is kind of a 'fish out of water' scenario; Bec is unable to perform any basic duties such as cooking and assisting Kate with her 'lavatorial duties'. This begs the question of why Kate would employ Bec, but this is a minor gripe which I'm prepared to overlook. The other segment in the early stages sets the pair up as a bit of odd couple - 2 people who are completely different spending large amounts of time in each other's company. This set up provides some amusing moments and despite Bec's incompetence and indifference at the start I still actually quite liked her character. The writers did a good job in painting Bec as a young woman lacking in direction rather than someone who was out and out bad (at least that's how I saw her). In this respect Bec's character is a little clichéd, but thankfully her character is fairly well-written and explored - the only thing that I felt could have been expanded more was her notion of becoming a singer/songwriter (this is addressed at the end, but isn't explored well during the film).

Kate's character is more straight-laced; she doesn't like swearing and seems to have morals and principles. The fact that they are so different is what brings about the 'culture-clash', but this in essence is what actually helps to bring about the best in both women. Bec's strong character rubs off on Kate and makes Kate toughen up whereas Kate's strong moral stance clearly rubs off on Bec making her question some of her own life choices.

Although the film is well-written and the characters were well developed these things would be nothing without the wonderful performances from Swank and Rossum. Inevitably, Swank will be the one that gets the most recognition as she had a much tougher task, but Rossum shouldn't be overlooked - she plays her role with a brash edge but there's always an underlying sensitivity with her character. I thought that Rossum's character would annoy me when I saw her in the early stages, but I ended up quite liking her!!!. The chemistry between the two women was excellent and I could see that a warm and deep bond existed between them. Although they were boss and employee at the start you got the impression that they were best friends by the end.

Films of this nature can sometimes end up being a bit sappy and manipulative but I never got that feeling when watching this film. For me, it had a balanced even-handed storytelling approach that painted everyone as human beings and helped to highlight the difficulties that not only an individual suffering with ALS has to endure, but also how this affects everyone around the individual. If you have a heart or any kind of empathy in your body then this is not to be missed.

Kate is a woman who has it all -- beautiful, wealthy, a talented pianist, had a loving husband. Bec is a young woman who seemed to have everything going against her -- irresponsible college student, always drunk, sleeps around, a failed musician.

But one fateful day, Kate was diagnosed with the debilitating neurologic disease called ALS, which left her progressively helpless with her personal care. When she was choosing her caretaker, Kate saw something in this mess that is Bec. From there, these two women, who are polar opposites of each other, get along, bond and help each other get through their lives.

When ALS was mentioned as the diagnosis, you knew then where this film is headed. ALS or Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and its devastating consequences has been in the news very much this year because of the viral Ice Bucket Challenge. There will be no surprises what will happen anymore during the course of the story up to the predictable end.

However, what will keep you glued to the screen are the performances of the two lead actresses: Hilary Swank as Kate, and Emmy Rossum as Bec.

I have not seen Hilary Swank for a long time already since her two Oscar Best Actress wins in the previous decade for "Boys Don't Cry" (1999) and "Million Dollar Baby" (2004). This film is somewhat reminiscent of the second film where she played a female boxer who had a spinal cord injury that made her quadriplegic.

Here in "You're Not You," the progress of the neurologic disorder is gradual, so Swank brought us on a torturous tour of how it is like to have your body deteriorate even as your brain remains completely lucid. Her character Kate remains so magnanimous throughout her ordeal, making her character likable and sympathetic even if we do not understand much of what she was saying.

I have not seen Emmy Rossum in another role since her breakthrough as the ingenue Christine in the film version of the Broadway musical "The Phantom of the Opera" (2004). Her brash and slovenly character here is so different from the meek, refined Christine in Phantom. This effectively shows the wide range Ms. Rossum has gained over the years.

Here we will also see the reaction of different people around them, their parents, the men in their lives, their friends, which kept things interesting.

Josh Duhamel plays Kate's controlling husband Evan. Frances Fisher plays Kate's mother, while Ed Begley Jr. plays her favorite uncle. Loreta Devine plays a fellow ALS patient who becomes her friend, while Eddie Hudson plays her supportive husband. Ali Larter and Andrea Savage play her fair-weather friends. On Bec's side, we have Marcia Gay Harden who plays her cold mother. Julian McMahon plays her sleazy professor. Jason Ritter plays a dorky but persistent suitor.

This film may be hard to swallow in several parts because of the intensity of the dramatic situations. The psychological reactions of the characters do not seem too typical, which is also good as it gave the material some unexpected surprises. However, the central performances of Swank and Rossum were so effective that empathetic audiences will be moved, maybe even to tears.

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.

"You wanna die and you know that I won't let you" Kate (Swank) has the perfect life. She is a classical pianist with a loving husband. One day she notices something strange happening to her, when she is diagnosed with ALS her life is changed. After burning through caregivers she hires Bec (Rossum). This simple hire does more for both of them than they could have imagined. This is simply a great movie. I had trouble trying to figure out why Hilary Swank didn't get nominated for this. That aside the movie is tremendously emotional and full of heart. The movie will make you angry, happy and cry, sometimes at the same time. Rossum also does a fantastic job in this. This is not a movie that makes you feel sorry for Kate, even though you do. This movie gives hope and happiness to not only those suffering from the disease but also the care givers to those helping. I can not say enough about this and I recommend this. Overall, a great movie that Swank should have gotten more recognition for. Watch this. I give it an A-.

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.