Review of Amour (2012) by Justin F — 18 Jun 2013

I really couldnt get on with this film but this was probably because I expected an altogether different story than the one that is told here. Its more about loneliness and the frustrations of feeling alone and helpless rather than love. Very dark, depressing and way too solemn for my tastes. One thing that I noticed is that the main characters at no time say "I love you" to each other, maybe this is intentional? I accept that we are only seeing the end of the relationship and its therefore reasonable to assume that what came before was altogether different but I found myself wanting to see that instead of what was presented.

George and Anne are former music teachers and subsequently share a love for classical music. Shortly after returning from seeing Annes former star pupil give a concert she suffers a series of strokes that severely tests her relationship with her husband. George tries his best to care for his stricken wife but Anne is fiercely independent and finds it difficult to cope with her lack of mobility and also the effect on her speech. They have a daughter (Eva) who lives in London but she has personal issues of her own which all adds up to angst and bitterness within the family as they struggle to come to terms with the situation. A pigeon files into the appartment a couple times which im guessing is an arty metaphor for something but id be damned if I could work out what it was!! Maybe if I had this would have made all the difference?

The performances are very good and especially so from Jean-Louis Trintignan (Georges) in that I definitely felt his frustration at his inability to influence the situation for the better. On the positive side I thought that the appartment they lived in was stunningly beautiful (really clutching at straws to find something positive now).

All in all I found this as another example of a film that the critics loved but I found empty, uninspiring and cold.