Amour (2012)

Directed by: Michael Haneke | 127 minutes | drama | Actors: Jean-Louis Trintignant, Emmanuelle Riva, Isabelle Huppert, Alexandre Tharaud, William Shimell, Ramón Agirre, Rita Blanco, Carole Franck, Dinara Drukarova, Laurent Capelluto, Jean-Michel Monroc, Suzanne Schmidt, Damien Jouillerot, Walid Afkir

An officer kicks in the door of an imposing Paris apartment, the windows and doors of which have been taped. Once inside, he discovers the lifeless body of an old woman. She is lying on her bed, in her most beautiful dress and surrounded by flowers. She must have passed away some time ago, but from the way she lies, we infer that she must have been very much loved. The opening scene of ‘Amour’ (2012) leaves nothing to be desired in terms of clarity, but at the same time raises questions. The first of many questions that writer and director Michael Haneke throws at us with his latest masterpiece. ‘Amour’ is unrelenting as we are used to from the Austrian filmmaker, but at the same time it is the most tender thing we have ever seen from him. Where in almost all his films death is always lurking to strike at an unexpected moment, we already know after the first minutes that the Grim Reaper will play a leading role.

After the opening scene, we jump back in time. Suddenly we are in a concert hall, looking the audience in the eye. Among that audience are Anne (Emmanuelle Riva) and Georges (Jean-Louis Trintignant), an elderly couple who used to earn a living as music teachers and who now spend their days immersing themselves in art and culture. dip. They must have been together for at least forty and maybe almost fifty years, but the love is no less, we soon notice. That love is in small things: short sentences, small gestures, tender looks. But death is looming threateningly, it cannot be otherwise in people at such an advanced age. How long can this love last, is the question that immediately presents itself. If it is up to Anne and Georges, a very long time, but they are not in charge. They live in the stately Parisian apartment that is so brutally opened in the opening scene and death makes its entrance faster than they want to in their beautiful home.

Because not much later Anne is hit by a brain haemorrhage, which had already announced itself in the form of forgetfulness and blackouts. She becomes partially paralyzed and is soon, to her great sorrow and frustration, confined to a wheelchair. The caring Georges shows himself to be a loving and faithful husband who takes care of his beloved. Initially without murmuring. During the few visits of their daughter (Isabelle Huppert) you will not hear him complain. But Anne becomes more and more rebellious and unruly. To share the care for her, Georges hires a home care assistant, but when he sees how he treats his beloved wife – however stubborn and pudgy she is – he unceremoniously sends her out. Anne meanwhile deteriorates further and further. She doesn’t get out of bed anymore, pees her pants and refuses to eat. Talking is also becoming less and less easy and by the time she can hardly do anything anymore, her heartbreaking cries go through the marrow. It gradually becomes more difficult for Georges to care for her and the frustrations start to take over.

With ‘Amour’ Michael Haneke won (again) the Golden Palm in Cannes and there is absolutely nothing to argue with. The film manages to connect unconditional love and inevitable death in an unparalleled way. The public is drawn into the lives of these people, partly due to Haneke’s fantastic use of space. Except for a few minutes at the beginning of the film, everything takes place in the couple’s imposing mansion. Their world is getting smaller and smaller. Initially you still have a spacious feeling in the opulent rooms, but after a while the walls literally come at you. The once beautiful house suddenly becomes suffocating. Haneke does not film his protagonists, he observes them. This results in long, still shots that – the longer they last – have an increasingly penetrating effect. The director also knows how to stimulate his audience with existential questions and moral dilemmas. Situations such as the one in which Anne and Georges find themselves are recognizable for everyone. Even if you haven’t experienced it yourself (yet), you can put yourself in the shoes of both characters. Haneke puts a mirror in front of you, doesn’t give any answers, but above all asks a lot of questions. How do you deal with the powerlessness when you are face to face with death? What happens when pity wins out over love? Precisely because the film reflects itself on your own life, ‘Amour’ continues to rumble for a long time.

Incidentally, this is not only due to Michael Haneke, who once again proves to be a master director, but also to the fantastic actors in the lead roles. Emmanuelle Riva and Jean-Louis Trintignant had already more than earned their spurs in the film world, but with this film they put a well-deserved crown on their long and rich careers. You really believe that these people have been together for fifty years and love each other unconditionally. Both physically (especially Riva) and mentally (both) these roles demanded a lot from these eighty-somethings. All the more impressive is their achievement. Intensely moving and penetrating, Haneke once again proves his class with this masterpiece.