Amour

There aren’t a lot of movies about the elderly, often because the stories tend to be serious, dealing with the difficulties of aging and death. Amour is no exception. Receiving multiple Oscar nominations, Amour is a French film that follows an elderly sophisticated couple (Jean-Louis Trintignant, Emmanuelle Riva) with golden years full of music and ease, until an illness besets the wife. The couple must then deal with deteriorating health, taxing the limits of their relationship.

ClearPlay In Action!

ClearPlay cuts a few small instances of language, but mostly deals with scenes that are thematic in nature. Edited are scenes involving a caretaker bathing a woman, references to sex, references to urination, and some disturbing images. Because it deals with death, you’ll have to determine if your viewers are mature enough to withstand this rather harsh portrayal.

When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie … Is that Amour?...

Well, there’s nothing funny here. Some films are escapist fare; Amour is not. The movie is unflinching and relentless, but anyone who has dealt with the sliding health of a loved one will find it all too familiar. Amour will prove to be too slow-moving for many audience members, as Director Michael Haneke likes to linger on scenes for great lengths of time to let the mood sink in. The performances, particularly Riva’s, are disturbingly effective, as is the movie.

Marty Nabhan - ClearPlay Knocker on Heaven’s Door

Rated PG-13 for mature thematic material including a disturbing act, and for brief language; 127 mins; Directed by Michael Haneke