A Song for Martin (En Song for Martin)

Running time: N/A

Northern California Premiere A Song for Martin is acclaimed director Bille August's most intimate and possibly most challenging work to date, focusing on an intimate tale of a mature love affair gone tragically off-key. Barbara, a middle-aged violinist, goes through the motions in an indifferent marriage. After Martin, an esteemed composer, shows an interest in her, they embark on a secretive relationship. Barbara soon divorces her husband and further alienates her grown children by marrying Martin. Convinced that she has found the love of her life, and finding fulfillment by collaborating with Martin on his well-received compositions, Barbara is dumbfounded when Martin is diagnosed with Alzheimer's. Determined not to let this devastating news disrupt her happiness, Barbara discovers true hardship as Martin gradually deteriorates and becomes a shell of the man for whom she gave up her family. Academy Award winner August (Pelle the Conqueror, Best Intentions) assuredly handles what could have been standard marital drama and sensitively reveals how the harsh ravages of disease affects more than just the afflicted. At once a story of courage and triumph, it is an inspiring story of a woman who uses love to battle the rage she feels over the unfairness of life. Reviewed by Sandy Wolf