no mour

Finally we come to the end of our Oscar journey. There's been ups and downs, laughter and tears, tigers roaring, peasants singing, presidents... presidenting. And now all we are left with left is Amour, the only foreign film nominated for the Best Picture title this year. Directed by Michael Haneke, this french film is about a different kind of love than the one we see in rom-coms; its about the love that remains after our faces have wrinkled and our boobs have sagged and we can never seem to remember where we put our keys. No, I'm not talking about the aftermath of a wild night, but Georges and Anne, married octogenarians whose life-long devotion is tested by Anne's sudden physical and mental deterioration. There aren't a lot of movies around about elderly folk, and none are more revealing than Amour about the struggles of growing old, particularly when the person you've spent your entire life with begins to crumble before your eyes.

rating: ★★★1/2
I couldn't help but have high hopes for Amour, because every review I came across gave it five stars. That's why, when I finally got to the advanced screening yesterday, I was wondering why this supposedly amazing, critically acclaimed masterpiece was sending me to sleep. For the first half hour of the film, I could barely keep my eyes open. I'm sorry, it sounds awful, but it's true. It wasn't so much the story that was lulling me off to slumber, but it was the way the movie was shot. I've heard Michael Haneke being praised for the way he holds the camera still in one position for minutes on end, but honestly, I don't want to watch someone washing the dishes for that long. I have enough of that in real life, thank you very much. Then there was the screenplay, which at times would be very clever and meaningful, while at others repetitive and inane, which I hope we can chalk up to being lost in translation.

Yet, after the slow-paced beginning, the movie took a turn. As Anne's health disintegrates, the film becomes more and more involving, and you find yourself empathising with Georges as he deals with his wife's growing senility. Suddenly, you have this highly confronting and overwhelmingly sad movie that, despite the characters age group, deals with some very contemporary issues. Emmanuelle Riva is living proof that you're never too old to act and my, my did she impress. This was a hugely demanding role and Emmanuelle pulled it off so flawlessly that I decided I want to be as awesome as her when I'm 86 (the age she just so happens to be turning on Oscar night, happy birthday Emmanuelle!). The movie did slow down again towards the end, at which stage the 127 minute running time started feeling like 127 hours, although I had no inkling to hack my arm off, which I'm interpreting as a good sign. Overall, I think this is an important film for people of all ages, and if you manage to stay awake for its duration, you'll hopefully feel that it was worth it, in the end.