Lena Olin and Bruce Dern give career-defining performances as a couple facing their golden years amidst the challenges of dementia and unrealized dreams in “The Artist’s Wife”.
The greatest art is learning how to love.
Claire (Lena Olin) lives a quiet domestic life in the Hamptons as the wife of celebrated artist Richard Smythson (Bruce Dern). Once a promising painter herself, Claire now lives in the shadow of her husband’s illustrious career.
While preparing work for his final show, Richard’s moods become increasingly erratic, and he is diagnosed with dementia. As his memory and behavior deteriorate, she shields his condition from the art community while trying to reconnect him with his estranged daughter and grandson from a previous marriage.
Challenged by the loss of her world as she knew it, Claire must now decide whether to stand with Richard on the sidelines or step into the spotlight herself.
“Bruce Dern’s best performance since his Oscar-nominated turn in ‘Nebraska’. He sustains a firm grip on our sympathy.” — Variety
“Terrific! A superbly nuanced performance in which (Olin) seems literally to glow brighter the longer she’s onscreen. The actress seizes this one with fervor, clearly relishing the film’s adult treatment of mature sexuality. ‘The Artist’s Wife’ displays rare sophistication.” — The Hollywood Reporter
“Thanks to the subtleties of Olin’s performance — and the acidic sting of Dern’s — ‘The Artist’s Wife’ feels less about dementia than the price of nurturing another’s artistic vision.” — The New York Times
“Absorbing and moving.” — Los Angeles Times