Amour (2012)
What I like about Michael Haneke is how he is utterly ruthless and unsentimental, and just lets the viewer have their emotions for themselves rather than force them. Little to no music, restrained outbursts of emotion and dramatic scenes. But we are still forced to sit and watch everything with no filter. As usual, watching a Haneke is always a rather unpleasant experience and everyone who has had terminal illness close by in their lives will be able to relate to this.
In many ways this is the most straightforward of Haneke’s films. It doesn’t leave a lot of unanswered questions and I am not surprised it got such universal acclaim and big awards, because it is less divisive than his other films. Part of me also thinks this makes it a little bit less interesting, but it still a very powerful film - just a more “normal” film. At least by Haneke standards.
What it does is to force me to think about my own mortality and the very unglamorous way many of us will pass away, which is a slow and painful deterioration towards death. How the will to live can dissapear and questions on whether assisted suicide is really the better option. What stands at the core of this film however amidst all the suffering - as the title also suggests, is the love between this old couple. How it defines them and their actions.
Rating: 4