Australian Director Michael Haneke’s Amour (2012) is a French language film that tells the story of an elderly couple Georges (Jean-Louis Trintignant) and Anne (Emmanuelle Riva), both former piano teachers, living in an apartment in Paris.
After attending a concert by one of Anne’s former students, she suffers a stroke. She is left with one-sided paralysis after a surgery to unblock an artery failure. To avoid having to return to the hospital, Anne makes Georges promise he won’t.
Georges takes on full-time caregiving duties for Anne now that she is confined to a wheelchair. Eva (Isabelle Huppert), their daughter, visits them occasionally and struggles to take in what her parents are going through. After expressing her desire to die, Anne gets another stroke, becomes bedridden, and is barely able to speak. As the pressure on George grows physically and emotionally, Georges seeks the assistance of home nurses.
Georges and Anne are still madly in love and are aware of what is going to happen. Their professions are behind them, and their children are now adults. At a point in the human journey when the options left are few and extremely difficult, this film addresses a topic that is frequently ignored.
The majority of the film is set in the large Parisian apartment, so the Director fixes his cameras in static positions and lets the drama play out in lengthy takes. The cameras observe carefully as the relationship between Georges and Anne is constantly put to the test.
Both Emmanuel and Jean gave an astounding performance in the film. The characters of Georges and Anne feel like real people. Riva takes a more in-depth approach to her portrayal of Anne, who is a proud woman who senses the end and tries to take some control before being imprisoned by her body’s continuous breakdown. Almost every frame contains at least one outstanding performance, and every scene is flawlessly crafted.
I have to say that it is a film worth watching since it handles a sensitive issue with such care. Amour shows how challenging it is to watch the terrible suffering of our loved ones. Witnessing the suffering of one’s loved ones has a lasting impact on a person. The pain does not disappear easily, instead it will make you feel even more miserable than before.
You won’t be able to see this film expecting it to be a romantic and fun film. Its simply not. It is a film that must be admired rather than being enjoyed. Even though Amour isn’t really entertainment film, it’s nonetheless essential and important to watch.
Amour was nominated for five Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, Best Actress in a Leading Role, and Best Foreign Language Film at the 85th Academy Awards winning the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film in 2013.
