The opening scene of Amour shows a long shot of a crowd in a concert hall. We as a crowd in the cinema watch them as a crowd. I think what he’s saying is that the events that happen in the movie could happen to any of you, and will in their own way. It’s a tragic tale and a quite beautiful one, but something none of us can avoid.

Amour is basically a love story, as the name suggests. The couple at the start of the movie are in good health, two intelligent people who love the arts and are bright and still deeply in love, despite the many years they’ve obviously spent together. This is the starting point before it all starts to fall apart. Georges’ wife Anne has been in good health, we get the feeling she has been the better of the two, and largely looks after Georges, until her health dismantles due to a series of strokes. We are brought through these events in slow and gruelling detail, as we see Anne move from a powerful and intelligent woman to little more than a shell. Georges does everything he can for his wife, and assists in all ways to try and hold her life together and make the best of the situation they are in.

The story is beautifully shot, as the Parisian apartment becomes the centre of their world, when Anne is no longer mobile. The acting by both Jean-Louis Trintignant  and Emmanuelle Riva is touching in the extreme, as these two lovers are slowly parted. There’s not a lot I can fault in this movie, but would I recommend it to the average viewer? Possibly, but with an assortment of warnings attached!

It’s never easy with Michael Haneke, is it? Never straight forward, but I guess it’s an obvious enough topic for a man in his 80’s to make. A tough movie, but one that will last with you, and something that puts life in it’s proper perspective. Another gem to add to the Haneke collection, and hopefully not his last!

Grade: B