Amour (Love) - 9 stars out of 10

Amour (Love) - 9 stars out of 10
950th review

"Amour" taps into an emotional area that is not often explored for fear of failure.  But this film, in all of its darkness, tells a story of loving devotion unlike any other.  This French film highlighted awards ceremonies in 2013, most notably winning the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival, several César Awards, and the Academy Award for Best Foreign Film with a nomination for Emmanuelle Riva as Best Actress.  There is no denying the impact of this film through its raw, realistic acting.  The film takes place as a long string of vignettes tied together by the rapid deterioration of Anne's health.  Sometimes the vignette lasts a minute longer than we think that it should, driving home the exhausting monotony of Georges' life as he must keep his promise and be his wife's caregiver.  It is only a matter of minutes before Anne's health begins to fail but it is just enough time for us to fall in love with this elderly couple and for our emotions to be engaged when things start to go wrong.  By the time that they begin explaining to the husband how to change her diapers, it becomes incredibly upsetting and yet somehow magical.  There is not much to the script of this film.  There are no flashy sets or special effects; instead, it is the pure talent of Riva that drives the entire film.  She is Robert DeNiro in "Awakenings" and Dustin Hoffman in "Rain Man," transforming herself into an invalid with sounds and mannerisms that force us to believe that she is actually suffering throughout this entire production.  Jean-Louis Trintignant has not been celebrated nearly enough as he transforms just as much as Riva does, only in a subtle emotional way.  By the time the film reaches its climax, your jaw will drop and the only thing left to do is cry, as this husband devotes his life to his wife's final wishes.  "Amour" is more than a movie.  It moves slow at points, but so does life.  And that's precisely what this film is.  Life.