Amour
AMOUR (15)
D: Michael Haneke
Les Films du Losange/X-Filme/Wega/France 3/Canal+ (Margaret Ménégoz, Stefan Arndt, Veit Heiduschka & Michael Katz)
France/Germany/Austria 🇫🇷 🇩🇪 🇦🇹 2012
127 mins
Drama
W: Michael Haneke
DP: Darius Khondji
Ed: Monika Willi & Nadine Muse
Jean-Louis Trintignant (Georges Laurent), Emmanuelle Laurent (Anne Laurent), Isabelle Huppert (Eva Laurent)
Amour is a story about love, but if you're expecting romantic, swelling music and long, loving gazes across the room, brace yourself, for this is not the type of romantic drama you'd be accustomed to through Hollywood's output. There may be tears though.
Michael Haneke has never been a director to shy away from difficult subject matter or a brutal approach to his material and in Amour he takes us into the lives of Georges and Anne with a realistic and dour point of view.
The married couple, now in their 80's, are retired music teachers who still enjoy the finer things in life, but tragedy strikes when Anne suffers a stroke which paralyses one side of her body, leaving Georges to tend for her while their daughter begs for her mother to receive professional care in a hospital, which Georges stubbornly disagrees to.
A thought-provoking and sometimes difficult watch, Amour is not a love story which will make your heart flutter with romantic feelings, but it's very much a story about how strong love can be. Both the leads are excellent, especially Emmanuelle Riva, who became the oldest person to be nominated for a Best Actress Oscar for her performance.
8/10
Award Wins & Nominations:
MILSTEAD MOVIE AWARDS:
Wins: none
Nominations: 4 (Best Actress in a Leading Role; Best Ensemble Cast; Best Screenplay - Original; Best Foreign Language Film)
OSCARS:
Wins: 1 (Best Foreign Language Film)
Nominations: 4 (Best Picture; Best Actress in a Leading Role; Best Director; Best Original Screenplay)
BAFTAS
Wins: 2 (Best Actress in a Leading Role; Best Foreign Language Film)
Nominations: 2 (Best Director; Best Original Screenplay)
OTHER WINS:
Golden Globes (Best Foreign Film); Alliance of Women Film Journalists (Best Foreign Film); ACCA (Best Foreign Film); Bodil Awards (Best Non-American Film); Boston Film Critics (Best Actress, Best Foreign Film); Cannes Film Festival (Palme d'Or); Cesars (Best Film, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay); Chicago Film Critics (Best Foreign Film); Critics Choice (Best Foreign Film); Dallas Fort Worth Film Critics (Best Foreign Film); Davids (Best European Film); Denver Film Critics (Best Foreign Film); Dublin Film Critics (Best Actress, Best Director); European Film Awards (Best European Film, Best European Actor, Best European Actress, Best European Director); Georgia Film Critics (Best Foreign Film); Gold Derby Awards (Best Foreign Film); Goya (Best European Film); Independent Spirit Awards (Best International Film); International Cinephile Society (Best Actress); INOCA (Best Picture, Best Actress, Best Foreign Film); IOMA (Best Actress); Kansas City Film Critics (Best Foreign Film); Kinema Junpo Awards (Best Foreign Film); Las Vegas Film Critics (Best Foreign Film); London Critics Circle (Best Film, Best Actress, Best Screenplay); Los Angeles Film Critics (Best Film, Best Actress); Lumiere Awards (Best Film, Best Actor, Best Actress); National Board of Review (Best Foreign Film); National Society of Film Critics (Best Film, Best Actress, Best Director); New York Film Critics (Best Foreign Film); New York Online Film Critics (Best Actress, Best Foreign Film); Oklahoma Film Critics (Best Foreign Film); OFTA (Best Foreign Film); Roberts (Best Non-American Film); San Francisco Film Critics (Best Actress, Best Foreign Film); Toronto Film Critics (Best Foreign Film); Washington DC Film Critics (Best Foreign Film)