It has a great bunch of characters that are played very well by everyone in the film, I often forget what a great actress Kate Winslet is and she doesn't disappoint here either.
She plays Jennifer, the eldest daughter of Susan Sarandon's, Lily, who has invited her children to be with her for one last weekend. Lily has ALS and has made the decision to end her life with the aid of her husband Paul(Sam Neil) who is very supportive of her choice to do so, he also lends support to the children and their partners in trying to cope with it all.
Through a lot of the film, we watch as the family has some very difficult conversations and this also includes a conversation of a possible affair, these are dealt with very honestly and in a candid way that you don't see a lot of these days. I find the writing to be very solid and it doesn't surprise me after being a remake of a Danish film "Silent Heart", they usually don't make a solid remake these days, but in all fairness, I have not seen the original film.
The dinner scene was a rough part of the film because she is passing she is wanting the family to celebrate Christmas with her because she won't be around for the actual day, so for her sake they do Christmas.
This movie is so well cast and everyone is really good in their roles, this is one of the better movies I have seen this year. For me, this film has the feel of a mix of Terms of Endearment and 'Night Mother. Both are dealing with death that has tough decisions for their characters to make/or deal with.
Source: ALS Treatment.com
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, destroys nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord and causes disability. In ALS patients, the wasting away of muscles results in nerve cell (neuron) destruction. This debilitating condition affects voluntary muscle movements such as chewing, walking, talking, and breathing as well as the overall functioning of the limbs.
Jennifer(Kate Winslet) is the eldest child and is the overbearing sister for the younger Anna(Mia Wasikowska), who brings her girlfriend Chris(Bex Taylor Klaus) along with her, much to the dismay of Jennifer--who has some candid remarks without knowing that Chris is directly behind her witing at the door for Anna.
There is some animosity between the siblings as there is in real life, but there is also some concern and compassion in the differences between Jennifer and Anna, both actresses do a great job as does everyone else in a story that is all too familiar when it comes to this type of story.
The acting definitely helps with this one.