Movie Review #48 Amour (2012)

- Life can end before you die.

I delve into foreign films on a pretty regular basis, and Amour is one of those. After the Artist's success last year in the Oscars, one can easily see that the Foreign film category isn't contained. Films can transcend this label and be up for and get the best film nod as well. I often run into coincidences when watching movies from my backlog of films in quick succession. This one would be I watched Cache two days earlier from when I watched Amour, having no idea they had the same director in Michael Haneke. He certainly has a strong grasp of the metaphorical and a fine touch for the little things. I think that's what can draw you into these movies: the details, the foreshadowing that isn't slapped in your face and, in the case of Amour, the no-holds-barred view of the slow decline of someone's health.

Amour is up for five Oscar statues: Best film, Actress, Director, Original Script, and Foreign Film. While it's clear that the limited verbal language in The Artist helped dispose of the language barrier for it to win best film, I don't believe Amour can do that. Enjoying a film of another language no matter what is always going to be harder. You're reading the text, you can read as fast as you want, but you'll miss the glisten in the eye, the great yet brief camera shot or strong scene, and therefore something of the original film is undoubtedly lost, unfortunately. It's heartbreaking sometimes but then it certainly is a better option than dubbing (and of course nothing is going to get dubbed in time for an Oscar). I've got my doubts that anything however could beat it in the foreign category. Emmanuelle Riva (who plays Anne) could win for best actress, though I think her younger though no more talented than her co-nominees have a slightly higher chance. It certainly is taking one Oscar home and may steal another but I think it doubtful to score three or more.

The movie is about an elderly well-established and financially well-off couple who, through the course of the movie you see to love each other as much as two souls can. The couple gets back from an evening out, get settled away at home and go to sleep. The next morning they chat, get breakfast and during such Anne suffers what appears to be a stroke. Unresponsive to Georges' (played by Jean-Louis Trintignant) calls and other such attempts to wake Anne he leaves to get ready to seek medical help. But when he returns she has awaken from the stupor and scolds Georges for leaving the water running. She has no memory of losing the time and thus seeks out medical attention herself. I've never taken care of someone who was truly ill, but I feel that logically that this is something I and everyone else will do at some point. As Anne's health deteriorates she becomes more closed off from the world requiring more outside help as Georges who is obviously also elderly becomes unable to even help the one he loves. Heartbreaking stuff to say the least, I would have to say if you truly knew what taking care of someone like this was like, this movie would impact you even more so.

The cast of Amour is incredibly small. Georges and Anne run most of the movie with a few supporting characters to give a little more development and help with logistics of the film. Amour is filmed entirely inside their apartment, save for one scene. You never really get a full scope of the location though until the final scenes but I felt that was done on purpose to give a better indication that as Anne was stuck in her body, Georges was just as stuck in a small place. Though both were quite loved, their was no escape so to speak.

This scene is as sweet as it is devastating. 

Amour is just about love (obvious from the title, hey?) but it's during possibly the most trying time of a relationship, when death is near. There are a couple of dream sequences that really catch you by surprise and I thought they were really beautiful or chilling depending on the scene. I felt the ending (similarly to the movie Lincoln) actually should have been just a couple of minutes earlier. The scene suggests something, but I felt it not clear enough to have the impact I believe it could have had. Both actors have a great presence on screen and if you let them get attached to you, expect some tears as the film doesn't hold back on the emotional distress of someone dying.

I give it 8/10

PS: I think if the ending had just been a little less odd or just “simple” I could have given it a higher rating.