An Oscar winner for Best Foreign Language film, Michael Haneke's Amour compassionately examines an elderly couple confronting aging, illness, and dying. The story begins with the French police forcing their way into the spacious Parisian apartment of retired music teachers, where they discover the emaciated body of an elderly woman, surrounded by flowers. In flashback, the narrative reveals that genteel Anne Laurent (Emmanuelle Riva) has suffered a series of debilitating strokes. Her devoted husband, Georges (Jean-Louis Trintignant), tenderly cares for her, even after Anne is confined to a wheelchair and, eventually, lies immobile in bed. Early on, Anne asks Georges to promise not to send her back to the hospital and to allow her to die with self-respect and dignity. Isolated from the outside world, the couple have few visitors. When a former pupil (pianist Alexandre Tharaud) arrives to pay tribute to Anne's tutelage, he only serves as a grim reminder of her current inability to play the music she loves. When their London-based daughter (Isabelle Huppert) tries to reason with her father about how to deal with her mother's suffering and obvious decline, conflict erupts about her terminal care. Amour confronts thorny end-of-life issues within the context of marital responsibility—all the while examining the mental, physical, and emotional intricacies of a changing situation. Both Riva and Trintignant deliver subtly poignant, expressively wrenching performances in this powerful, elegant, and intimate film. Highly recommended. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include a Q&A with director Michael Haneke (39 min.), a “making-of” featurette (25 min.), and trailers. Bottom line: a fine extras package for this excellent Oscar winner.] (S. Granger)
Amour
Sony, 127 min., in French w/English subtitles, PG-13, DVD: $30.99, Blu-ray: $35.99, Aug. 20 Volume 28, Issue 4
Amour
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