Drama starring Julianne Moore as a linguistics professor who is diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. Beginning with the loss of a few words in the middle of a lecture, Alice (Moore) becomes increasingly disorientated and even begins to feel lost in her own home and neighbourhood. Initially calm after the diagnosis, Alice struggles to cope with the everyday realities of the illness as her short-term memory rapidly deteriorates, forcing her to eventually leave her teaching post at Columbia University. Along with Alice, her two grown-up children (Kate Bosworth and Hunter Parrish), rebellious daughter Lydia (Kristen Stewart) and husband John (Alec Baldwin) have to come to terms with the full implications of the hereditary disease. Moore won a Golden Globe, a BAFTA and an Academy Award for her performance.

Melissa Leo stars in this drama set during the panic of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Flight attendant Montine McLeod (Leo) has been depending on alcohol to get her through the struggles of her job and family life. One day at work she is put in charge of young lone traveller Omar Hassan (Anthony Keyvan) who is on his way to a new boarding school. When their flight is grounded and they hear about the attacks on the World Trade Center, where Omar's dad is employed, Montine decides to take him home. On the way they learn the significance of friendship.