Amour (2012)

I thought I was going to be deeply affected by "Amour," based on my experience with Michael Haneke's "The White Ribbon" and the film's premise. My wife and I just recently watched her father degenerate physically and mentally over the last few years until his recent death, so the closeness to me of the subject matter combined with Haneke's uncompromising approach to filmmaking made me feel sure that I would be deeply disturbed by his film.

And while I was watching it, I felt like I should be feeling that way, but never really did. It's by any definition a formidable piece of filmmaking, but it left me cold. The events depicted in the film count among my worst nightmares and are even more terrifying for the significant likelihood that I will have to experience them in some fashion. But I never forgot that I was watching actors performing in a movie. There's something about Haneke's style that's cold and clinical, and the same quality that can make his movies deeply disturbing can also make them inaccessible.

To be honest, I'm kind of glad Haneke's style kept me at an emotional distance from the film, because I think it might otherwise have been unendurable.

Detail / Info

Genre : Drama, Romance
Duration : 127 min
Release Date : 20 Sep 2012
Rating : 7.9
Writer : Michael Haneke (screenplay)
Director : Michael Haneke
Company : Les Films du Losange
Movie Casts :
Emmanuelle Riva as Anne, Jean-Louis Trintignant as Georges,Isabelle Huppert as Eva, William Shimell as Geoff, Rita Blanco as Concierge, Dinara Drukarova as Nurse #2