Review of Amour (2012) by Nick R — 22 Feb 2013

I'm not sure where to stand on Amour. I respect the film immensely for tackling difficult subject matter and doing so in a style not typical of modern day cinema. This is a film unafraid to breath a little (or a lot), allowing all the little details to soak in. Michael Haneke prizes silence, and makes sure that every sound counts and carries with it immense weight. The performances of Trintignant and Riva are also strong, conveying a lot more through body language and reactions than their words.

But I also felt a fundamental disconnect with the characters. I found that I couldn't fully invest myself on an emotional level, despite my best attempts to do so. The film exchanges subtlety for vagueness one time too many for my tastes. I wanted to see more of the good times the couple had in the first third, so that Anne's rapid deterioration later on devastated me as much as it did Georges. As it is now, Amour is still a testament to the power of love in the waning years of life, but it could have been so much more.