AMOUR (Michael Haneke, Sony Pictures Classic, 2012)

I know that oftentimes when I write that I get carried away with superlatives. Particularly if the film I was writing about was a fantastic film. Well get ready because AMOUR (Michael Haneke, Sony Pictures Classic, 2012) was one of those films. I truly can't say enough about it. The story was powerful and emotional, the performances award worthy and the direction of Haneke was sublime. This film will not be for many, in fact I can hear some of the people I know already say the film was boring, depressing or slow. Trust me, they don't know what the hell they are talking about. Take it from a film snob, a graduate from USC School of Cinematic Arts and someone who has taken the time to watch more films than most, this film is exceptional. The exceptionality begins with the direction of Michael Haneke. After watching BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD (Benh Zeitlin, Fox Searchlight, 2012) last week I was sure that I couldn't be floored over someone's job of directing a film again this Oscar season. But Haneke proved me quite wrong. AMOUR is directed sublimely. Every choice Haneke made worked and had purpose. No score to the film? It's all cool because the silence will often lend to the isolation and despair Haneke is portraying with Anne (Emmanuelle Riva) and Georges (Jean Louis Trintignant). Haneke makes a film only using diegetic sound and when was the last time you saw a film do this? Haneke allows his camera to work and tell the story for him. His shots linger, his camera doesn't often move. He frames amazing shots and through stills creates an effective time passing technique. He coaxed two octogenarian actors into giving virtuoso performances and on top of all this he wrote the emotionally powerful script. Michael Haneke's work on this film deserves to win the Best Director award. Also deserving is the work of Emmanuelle Riva as Anne. As her condition worsens through the film my heart ached at what Anne was enduring. I felt that inner fear of not being able to do the things you simply take for granted on a daily basis. Riva gave so much of herself in this role, she was courageous and daring. As the effects of each passing stroke worsened her performance got better. I'll be honest I had never heard of her or Trintignant prior to today and that makes me realize I have so much more to see in the world of film. Finally, Jean Louis Trintignant was great as well. In fact the chemistry between the two actors was very real. Each time Georges helped Anne up and the two actors embraced was like watching two lovers share their first dance. Beautiful moments for both actors and the narrative. And again back to Haneke and this narrative. Such a strong emotional film and yet it raises so many modern day questions and dilemmas. Themes of isolation and despair are examined and the contemporary question over medically keeping a person alive is prevalent. I watched this film and sat quietly contemplating so much. The gentlemen next to me in the theatre, an older man, sobbed uncontrollably during the films most intense scene. I felt for this man, a stranger I did not know. I wondered, did he go through this? Had he lost a loved one in the same manner? Ultimately it just drove the powers of the film home. The lessons, the forced analysis, the technical beauty of the film and the power of film as a communal experience. Thank you Michael Haneke for a wonderful part of yourself.