Rising to the Heights – 5 Flights Up with Diane Keaton and Morgan Freeman (released 2015)

A small movie with a big heart, with two of our best actors, Diane Keaton and Morgan Freeman, in the leads.

As a couple married for forty years, they are contemplating selling their fifth floor walk-up Brooklyn apartment, where they live with their elderly dog, Dorothy. Both Dorothy and Alex, Freeman's character, are having difficulty walking the long flights of stairs that lead to the sunny apartment, where Alex, a somewhat successful artist, and Ruth (Keaton), a retired teacher, have made a life together. They have faced prejudice as an interracial couple, and the disappointment of infertility, but now aging is the issue.

Ruth's niece, Lily (the hyper Cynthia Nixon, also well-cast), an aggressive real estate agent, has set up a weekend of appointments with prospective buyers, and organized an open house. Ruth has some doubts about selling and moving to a building with an elevator, but Alex is far more reluctant and his recalcitrance puts off some potential buyers. Ruth is willing to do the decluttering every real estate agent demands of their clients, for example, but Alex hates the thought of strangers wandering around the apartment and especially his studio, the apartment's second bedroom, which is crammed with paintings, supplies and the typical mess one expects in to find in such circumstances.

In the midst of all this, Dorothy has an a sudden illness that requires an emergency visit to the vet, and very costly treatment that may not lead to recovery. Both Ruth and Alex are devoted to the dog, and anxious about her, and the money involved.

Ruth and Alex decide to look at apartments that may provide the space and elevator convenience they are looking for, and come very close to making a decision that will change everything about their lives.

In the end, they come to a decision that is right for them, and the crisis comes to a close with a several satisfying outcomes.

Keaton and Freeman have wonderful chemistry, and are perfectly believable as a devoted couple on long standing. They do not play cute, but with a realism that shows off their strengths and the mellowness they have reached in their later years (Keaton, now 73), and 82 (Freeman, now 82). The actors who portray their younger selves (Claire van der Boom as Ruth and Korey Jackson as Alex), have enough physical resemblance and are directed so well that they are nearly seamless in portraying the flashback scenes that successfully capture the personas of Keaton/Ruth and Morgan/Alex.

Watch the trailer: 5 Flights Up