Michael Haneke’s (Funny Games, Time of the Wolf) Amour might not be the most depressing movie of the year, but it is the most horrifying. The plot line could be “growing old with the one you love the most while facing life’s misery.” Instead, this movie is simply about the deterioration of a wife and what an elderly husband is able and willing to do to take care of her when she can no longer care for herself. A universal belief is that we all want to age gracefully and not impose on others. A universal truth, I know, is that this does not often happen. The idea that a husband and wife can fall in love in their 20s, live 60 years with minimal health issues, and then die in their sleep on the same night isn’t realistic, no matter how much we want it to be. In all likelihood, each spouse will rely on the help of their partner. In the end, one partner will most likely care for and make the decisions of the other. That’s what this movie shows us. And it shows us to it in an oh-so-brutal way.
Continue reading Amour (2012) →