Amour TIFF 2012 Review

Posted 11 years ago by myetvmedia

Amour: Won Michael Haneke His Second Palme d’Or – TIFF 2012 Premiere:  Review

Michael Haneke’s Amour ” is gripping and unrelenting. I am still haunted by this film. It won the Palme d’Or at Cannes this year, and is one of the most moving films I have ever experienced. Haneke boasts another P’alme d’Or for his 2009 international hit “The White Ribbon” and shows again why he is a master of his craft with this latest picture.

“Amour” is a story about a relationship between a man and a woman near the end of their lives. What does it mean to love another human? How can you show it? How serious is the bond of marriage? Haneke reveals all with his characters Anne (Emmanuelle Riva) and George Laurent (Jean-Louis Trintignant); played by two of France’s finest seasoned actors ever to grace the big screen.  Anne and George are a loving couple set about in their quiet routines when one day everything changes. Anne has a stroke. With stunning clarity, realism and detail “Amour” sets out to show every painstaking moment of Anne’s physical deterioration, while her husband George tries to care for her. “In sickness and in health” the simple phrase in the marriage vows comes to mind and this film shows the true meaning of that statement.

Haneke’s shots are often wide and long as we feel Anne’s transformation and George’s journey in almost real time. This is a truly a story about mortality and the bond between husband and wife. “Amour” is not all sadness, surprisingly it is full of touching moments and humour. Like life itself, “Amour” is packed with ebbs and flows, good and bad, that are impossible to turn away from. This movie is a challenging watch no doubt, but you should not deprive yourself of it. It is an eye opener of the biggest kind and a true example of the human experience.

I loved “Amour” and was so happy I had included it on my list of TIFF movies to see. I’d make sure this is at the top of your list. Bravo Haneke. “Amour” is now nominated as one of only 5 remarkable international films for the Foreign Film Oscar in the forthcoming 85th Academy Awards. It is truly deserving.

 

Chris Murphy

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