Amour Review

Amour tells the story about Georges (Jean-Louis Trintignant) and Anne Laurent (Emmanuelle Riva), an elder couple who lives in their apartment in Paris, France. Georges and Anne's companionship is unbreakable, but their relationship changes when Anne is struck by a stroke and becomes dependent on her husband who does everything humanly possible to comfort and encourage his beloved friend and life partner.

The director of the film, Michael Haneke is best known for his bleak and sometimes depressing films. While most of his other films focus on violent and psychotic youths, this is a more intimate project for the director. Haneke creates a memorable and meaningful portrayal of a loving and faithful relationship between two aging human beings, and their somewhat estranged relationship with their daughter. Everything from the production design to the cinematography is done very well. The lack of score in this movie makes this dialog-driven and intimate coming-of-age story even stronger. Nevertheless, if you do not like foreign movies, then this movie is not going to change your opinion of them.

Amour is a poetic, atmospheric, quick-witted and universal love-story about two musicians who are faced with one of the many unpredictable moments in life. The movie has a brilliant narrative structure, subtle character development, and great performances by authentic and reverent acting performances by Emmanuelle Riva and Jean-Louis Trintignant. The film clocks in at about two hours, which may seem like an eternity for people who hate reading subtitles. However, if you keep an open mind, you will appreciate this bleak, yet moving film.

Amour - 4/5