"Iris" tells the story of a wonderful genius, crippled with a debilitating disease and the love that genius shares with a spouse as they grow into their senior years. Both "Iris" and "A Beautiful Mind" contain incredible performances by talented casts and both have interesting takes on the disease being portrayed.

However, unlike Ron Howard's film, Richard Eyre's "Iris" is not interested in tricking the viewer. The long and complicated history of Iris Murdoch and John Bayley is told honestly and beautifully and is much less about the fight to retain intelligence than concentrating on the fight to keep love alive despite all obstacles.

In a creative and powerful use of editing, the older, disease-troubled relationship of Iris and John is intercut with the budding friendship and love of a younger Iris and a younger John.

As the socially awkward, intelligent, young John (Hugh Bonneville) first meets the young, confident, soon to be writer Iris (Kate Winslet), it is obvious that John cannot take his eyes off her. He is immediately drawn to her but her intentions are more hidden. Iris is a very sociable person and it is soon learned that her social behavior is not limited to the normal chitchat.

John find his first love in Iris, but to be with her he must accept that she is a lover of other men and women. Iris proves that John is not just another throwaway lover in her life by letting him be the first to read her first novel. John offers support and kindness that Iris will need later.

Later in life, Iris (Judi Dench) is now a renowned novelist and John (Jim Broadbent) remains at her side. Alzheimer's slowly eats away at the young woman she once was. It takes away her intellect, her humor and most importantly, memory. John becomes her sole caretaker, not wanting a nurse for additional help.

John jovially and sweetly takes care of Iris at first, but grows more and more frustrated as the antics increase and time goes on. She scares him sometimes, and it hurts him deeply.

This true story is based on two books by Bayley himself. Bayley candidly revealed his life with the revered British novel and philosopher and it turns out to be an amazing story of devotion and enduring love that requires little of the typical movie storytelling deceit.

In a year filled with ensemble casts elevating material to greater heights, the cast of "Iris" almost makes the storyline disappear into unimportance with their deft portrayals of real-life people, young and old.

Dench, Broadbent and Winslet all earned Oscar nominations for their performances, and it would be a shame to not mention Bonneville's accomplishments in the same breath as his co-stars.

While Dench has shown before that it can take a mere six-minutes of screen time for her to pick up an Oscar, so giving her over an hour here is mesmerizing. The contrasts she displays as Iris are intriguing and real, though not enough for the academy honor her this year. Halle Berry took the statue home for "Monster's Ball."

First, Dench captures all the confidence and smarts of Iris, delivering an honorary speech. Later, she perfectly recreates the mindset of a simple child in a world of her own. It is a sad difference, and a breathtaking one as well.

Broadbent won as a supporting actor, but his screen time and prominence in the film should have been honored in the lead actor category. Here, he does a complete reversal of his loud, over the top owner in "Moulin Rouge," stuttering his way through his role as the gentle and caring John.

Despite the title, it is John who is truly the main character as we see Iris through his eyes and experiences. While Broadbent cannot take his eyes off of Iris due to his love and worry, the viewer cannot look away from his John, as he can reveal much emotion in with a blink of the eyes.

Winslet shows once again that she is the most daring young actress working today. The fame she earned from "Titanic" was well deserved, but it is for her troubled, complex performances like this that it should have been bestowed upon her.

See "Iris" for an honest portrayal of a depressing disease. See "Iris" for a moving relationship of unending love. See "Iris" for three of the best performances of the past year. In barely 90 minutes of running time, "Iris" dispenses a lifetime of truths that all should see.