Review: Amour (2012)

★★★★★

Director: Michael Haneke

Starring: Jean-Louis Trintignant, Emmanuelle Riva, Isabelle Huppert

❝ YOU ARE A MONSTER SOMETIMES. ❞

Synopsis: Georges (Jean-Louis Trintignant) and Anne (Emmanuelle Riva) Laurent are a married couple in their eighties. When Anne suffers a stroke, the repercussions of the attack test the love between the two and the bonds between friends and family.

Amour is hard watch for all the right reasons. It's painful and uncomfortable. Those who are familiar with Haneke's work should know what to expect, but in this case, he surpasses his earlier work by giving us something much more honest and in turn, much more powerful. Haneke lets us see what happens behind closed doors when someone has a serious illness. With each frame we are given another emotion to contend with. The performances are spectacular without being loud and Emmanuelle Riva's is so hauntingly quiet that it still manages to echo through each scene. The complexities of each character's emotional state makes this film one of the best character studies on coping with the stress of a life changing event. Unafraid to be honest and trying, Amour is a brilliantly accomplished film that deserves every single peice of recognition it receives.