Review of Oscar Winning Movie 'Amour' (2012 Film)

Many romantic movies typically end after the lovers unite; but, as we all know (but still get carried away) that it is from this end, the life in fact begins for the couple. From dancing around the trees to fighting with spatulas, a great deal of transformation happens as the irresistible love slowly fades as the couple grows older. While the obvious answer is, familiarity breeds contempt :D, maintaining the love as the couple ages is possible, is what Michael Haneke portrays through Oscar winning French movie ‘Amour’. The English translated title 'Amour' is misleading because this movie deals with the matured and deep love that weaves together the lives of aged couple.

The plot is straightforward. Jean-Louis Trintignant (as Georges) and Emmanuelle Riva (as Anne) are retired music teachers. Life goes on as usual till Anne is struck by Stroke, initially paralyzing her right side of the body and subsequently, taking her ability to speak away. The couple has a daughter Eva, played by Isabelle Huppert, who is married and has kids.

Set in the backdrop of Paris, the movie largely revolves around the couple and their dwelling place. The director has captured the intensity of the romance between the couple very subtly. One of such scenes, where this has been nicely portrayed is when Georges removing Anne’s coat after the concert and admitting that he forgot to convey that she looked very beautiful that evening, which Anne brushes off shyly. And the low tones with which they talk and the eye contacts expressing that each one understands what the other is trying to convey exhibits their depth of love towards each other.  

During a meal, Anne suddenly freezes and Stroke strikes her, shaking Georges and yielding to the desire of Anne that she doesn’t want to go to the hospital but be home, Georges dons the role of her care giver. Right from helping Anne with attending to her nature’s calls, changing nappies, feeding her to tucking her in the bed at night, Georges whole heartedly accepts the new normal and his wife’s needs for utmost attention. When Anne spurts out that she needn’t be treated as a cripple and she can be on her own, Georges just smiles and then moves out of the room, fully understanding the inner turmoil that Anne is going through. At one point, Anne says that she wishes that she is dead for she is a burden to George, to which he fittingly yet movingly responds that would she think the same if he was inflicted by the disease.

The couple also embraces their situation completely and attempts at navigating it as cheerfully as possible.

She also co-operates with the physiotherapeutic exercises administered by her husband. When Eva comes to know of her mother’s plight, she confronts her father and accuses him of not giving her the best care, to which Georges asserts that he loves as much as Eva does and he has done what he could do without revealing the promise done by him to Anne (of letting her stay at home and not at the hospital/nursing home).

Georges admits that situation of Anne is only getting worse every day and one day, despite all their efforts, it will all come to an end. When he says this sentence, there is so much grief that the viewers could feel, but there is no drama at all, no sobbing, no beating about the bush etc but displays his matured approach to accept the reality as is. Georges himself getting sick of all these lonely battles with Anne’s disease and with his mental health, he once succumbs to his emotions and slaps Anne hard as she refuses to drink the beverage he offered her. And eventually, he does something untoward to Anne in the climax, which takes the reader off by surprise, an act which is quite debatable.

On the whole, this is a very intense, heartbreaking and emotional movie but a must watch, especially for those who are in a relationship and married couple. This will actually help them get an insight into the harsh realities of life, which is more or less filled with mundane things. The takeaway is how as a couple those mundane activities are made memorable through love, understanding and respect towards each other. And a word of caution for those who are used to fast-forwarded life sequences is that this 2-hour movie is a drag as each scene takes its own pace but each scene will get etched in our memory as we exit the theater or the OTT screen.

You can watch this in Amazon Prime: