My Review: Amour (6/10)

¨What would you say if no one came to your funeral? ¨

Amour is French for love, and in this film Austrian director Michael Haneke delivers a unique love story where he defines what love really means in a very unique way. This is not an easy film to watch; it is slow and deals with some unpleasant subject matters to think about such as mortality, old age, confronting death, and sickness. We all dream of finding the perfect soul mate with whom we can grow old together, and many times Hollywood has painted this beautiful romantic portrayal of it, but Haneke shows us what it really means to grow old with the person you love and how difficult it can be to see a loved one go through a slow and painful death. Haneke decides to paint us a different picture of love as he takes us through the indignities of becoming old and seeing the person you love slowly facing death. Amour is a remarkable film and it shows us how love can be severely tested at times, but I also found it to be very pessimistic and difficult to watch. You can enjoy the film for its craft and artistic value, but it is not one you can sit through and say you enjoyed it. The problem I had is that the film is a little too pessimistic as we see this old couple who obviously love each other very much being tested by a severe illness. I have personally experienced a similar disease in my family as my father suffered a severe stroke and was paralyzed on his right side in the same way the main character of this film was. He still can’t speak, but has confronted his illness with a positive attitude. In the end, life can throw harsh things our way and love can be tested, but how we choose to confront those difficulties is what makes love stand out above all. I preferred the much positive French film, Intouchables, where the main character faces his disabilities with a totally different approach. Old age is tough and comes with several indignities, but love conquers all.

The plot is very minimalistic and simple as we are introduced to the everyday life of an old couple in the early 80´s who seem to be enjoying each other’s company. Georges (Jean-Louis Trintignant) and Anne (Emmanuelle Riva) are retired music teachers living in Paris. They live a pretty simple life as they spend most their time in their home talking about life. They have recently been to a theater to listen to a former student of Anne´s, and seem to have enjoyed it very much. Georges mentions that the next day he wants to buy his CD now that he has become so famous. While he is talking, Anne seems to black out for a couple of minutes. Once she comes back to her normal self she has no idea of what happened and Georges decides to take her to the hospital. The doctors decide to operate her, but things don’t turn out well. When they return from the hospital several days later, Anne is on a wheelchair and has her right arm and leg paralyzed. Georges watches out for her with a great amount of love and patience, but she feels like a burden on him. She makes Georges promise that if she ever suffer another attack, he mustn´t take her to the hospital again. As Anne´s illness begins to take a toll on her, the couple´s love for each other begins to be tested.

The film is mostly shot in long and static takes and is very silent at times. There isn’t much going really as we see how slowly old age and illness begins to disturb their daily routines. The film can be upsetting for some viewers and emotionally draining. Michael Haneke is known for making some strong films (Funny Games, The White Ribbon, and Cache) and has received several awards including Academy nominations. In Amour he has received a nod for best director, original screenplay, and best film. He will probably win for best foreign film, but is competing against Hollywood´s top films as well. This is probably his most critically acclaimed film to date as many critics are calling it his masterpiece. It might be simple, but at the same time he uses plenty of poetic imagery (like the scene with the pigeon which many people have made different conclusions about). I really don’t like his dark and pessimistic vision of life, but he does have a talent for stirring up debate and tackling difficult subject matters. I have to mention that the two lead actors were absolutely phenomenal in this film. Both Riva and Trintignant were mesmerizing in their realistic portrayal of this old age couple. They carry the film and make it tolerable despite the material. Riva has also been nominated for her powerful performance here and could upset Lawrence in the Oscar race. I´d like to quote a critic who best describes this film as ¨a graphic portrayal of the unfunny endgame we´re all fated to play.¨ I can´t really recommend this film, it´s not easy to watch, but I can see why many critics liked it.

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My Review: Amelie (8/10)

¨ Amelie has a strange feeling of absolute harmony. It's a perfect moment. A soft light, a scent in the air, the quiet murmur of the city. A surge of love, an urge to help mankind overcomes her.¨

I didn’t fall in love with Amelie in the same way many critics did, but I did enjoy this wonderful and uplifting movie powered by an interesting script and a great performance from Audrey Tautou. The cinematography is pretty breathtaking as well as it uses a lot of color (green, yellow, and red are predominant) giving the movie the fantastic touch it conveys. This French film was written and directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet who had previously worked in the Alien sequel, Alien Resurrection. This is a much better film. It has some great moments of humor, some mysteries that are solved along the way, and several romantic moments. It is a strange movie, but it works and ends up being uplifting. The narration in this film reminded me a lot of Y Tu Mama Tambien, where you had the narrator explain certain events that were happening at the time that didn’t have anything to do with the story. The film was nominated for 5 Oscars in 2002 despite not winning any, but it did win a lot of recognition from international audiences. The movie takes place in Paris and that alone is a plus with such great scenery, and it also has a lot of energy that transcends the screen. It`s hard not to like this small movie.

Amelie (Audrey Tautou) had a difficult childhood; she was raised by her relatively unsocial parents and had little contact with the outside world due to her father`s misdiagnose of a heart condition he thought she suffered. She was homeschooled by her neurotic mother and thus lived practically on her own imagining a world of fantasy. Her mother died in a rather comedic accident when she was young and ended up being raised by her father. Once she turned 18 Amelie moved out and began working at a cafeteria. She doesn’t have many friends since she isn’t good at relating with real people, but one day her life changes when she discovers a small box that was hidden in her bathroom. The box contained some treasures from a boy who had lived in her apartment some fifty years ago. Amelie decides to search for this boy, now a grown man, and give him back the treasure box. When she finds him and sees the positive reaction it has on his life, Amelie decides to become a good doer and help as many people as she can. In this process she falls in love with a man named Nino (Mathieu Kassovitz) who has a weird hobby of collecting tossed away pictures from photo booths. Amelie is afraid of speaking to him and idealizes her love for him. Meanwhile she continues to help out as many people as she can including a lonely old neighbor, her father, her co-workers and their love dilemmas, and pretty much anyone she meets in the street that might have a need. Amelie puts their needs above her own and lives with purpose.

Pretty much every character in this film seems to be strange, but it`s not hard to fall in love with them and accept their differences. Amelie seems to enjoy helping out her co-workers to find love, but at the same time has a difficult time to express her own love for Nino. She`s always putting others ahead of her, but as the sang goes ¨You sow what you reap¨ she seems to be destined to find happiness as well. Her life begins to have purpose when she discovers she can bring joy to others, and in the end that is what gives her a sense of joy after so many years of living a quiet and sad life. The movie moves at a really fast pace with a lot of energy combining a lot of comedy with some romantic moments. The performances in this film are great and the characters are all interesting. The music in this film is also catchy and happy some the entire film seems to work as a fantastical love letter where dreams are fulfilled in a rather unconventional way. The film is brilliantly written as well and the screenplay is very original. Amelie is a fun movie that will have you laughing and smiling from beginning to end.

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My Review: Intouchable (9/10)

¨Sometimes you have to reach into someone else's world to find out what's missing in your own.¨

Intouchables is a remarkable ¨feel good¨ French film mostly about friendship, but there is a little bit of drama and a love story included as well. This film with relatively unknown directors and actors has managed to make some big noise in Europe, and especially in France where it has become the second highest grossing French film of all time. The key to the success of Intouchables relies on the great chemistry and performances from Francois Cluzet and Omar Sy. They are just absolutely great in this film and their friendship felt authentic and real. The movie mixes the drama with the comedy really well and it works better than most films have in the past when combining two different and sometimes opposite characters together. Sy and Cluzet play totally different characters who come from very different backgrounds, and although we`ve seen this play out in hundreds of films in the past it works really well here thanks to their terrific performance and a great script from the directors Olivier Nakache and Eric Toledano. Cluzet has a sort of a Dustin Huffman vibe and he says so much with his expressions without having to say anything at times, while Sy plays a more outgoing character who isn’t afraid to speak his mind. This odd pairing reminded me a lot of another film which I really loved, Goodbye Solo which follows a similar premise at times. Intouchables is a feel good movie, but it transcends the term at times and becomes much more. An absolute must see, especially if you`ve ever had to work or live with a handicapped person.

Philippe (Francois Cluzet) is a very rich quadriplegic who lives in his mansion with several servants and his teenage daughter. He is hiring a live-in carer once again (since most only last a couple of days with him). Driss (Omar Sy) happens to be applying for the job, but actually just wants to get rejected so he can live on welfare without having to work. He`s been in prison for the last 6 months and away from home, but Philippe decides to actually hire Driss for the job considering he is someone different who doesn’t look at him with empathy and actually treats him like a normal person. Driss and Philippe come from very different backgrounds, but they seem to complement each other very well. Philippe is a millionaire who`s interested in art and classical music; while Driss comes from a poor African background, who`s interested in pop culture mostly and in bands such as Earth, Wind, and Fire. Driss is really outgoing and becomes really close friends with Philippe. Together they share various stories about their past and end up helping each other solving some present conflicts. There are some other secondary characters whose names I don`t even remember because they are not very important to the story, but mostly revolving around other house servants.  

Intouchables is actually loosely based on a true story involving a quadriplegic and his Arab carer who ends up befriending him. The directors actually came across a documentary about these two men and decided to film a movie about it. One of the greatest things about the film beside the inspiring story was the casting. Omar Sy and Francois Cluzet were really the perfect match and they had me laughing real hard at times and at the border of tears during others. It is truly an emotional and powerful film, a story that will stick with you long after the film ends, and by the time the credits role you will have a smile on your face. It is a feel good movie, but never feels cursi or anything like that. I was really surprised with Omar Sy and hope he gets many more roles. This is really a great French film, very different from Le Prophet but just as good. I had a really good time watching this movie and recommend it to everyone.

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My Review: Un Prophete (9/10)

¨In exchange I offer you protection…If you don`t kill him, I`ll kill you. ¨

Jacques Audiard directs this great French prison film which is perhaps the best gangster movie I´ve seen since The Goodfellas. It has some great scenes combining violent action sequences with a character driven plot. Audiard has created a masterpiece; the entire film takes place mostly in the prison and he worked with ex convicts in order to set the right mood. Un Prophete (A Prophet) was nominated for Best Foreign Film in the Oscars and lost to the Argentinean movie, El Secreto de Sus Ojos, which was also a great character driven film. Audiard not only directed the film, but he also co-wrote the adaptation of the script along with Thomas Bidegain. It is an interesting character study on how an innocent man gets involved with the wrong people and becomes entangled in a life of crime. There is something symbolic about his illiteracy as he learns how to read in prison, and he also learns how the mob works by serving and getting involved with them, therefore the prison became his school both in a positive and negative way. When I watched this movie I couldn´t help but compare several scenes with such classic movies as Scarface, The Godfather and The Goodfellas. This movie does have its flaws, for instance, women are depicted poorly as the few female characters are either prostitutes or weak minded, but the story makes up for it along with the lead actors who give terrific performances.

A nineteen year old Franco-Arab, named Malik El Djebena (Tahar Rahim), has just been sent to prison for six years in Brecourt for assaulting a police officer. He is alone in prison without any friends and has to learn how to survive. At first he tries to stay in the down low, but solitary convicts are the easiest prey. The prisoners are divided in two groups, the Muslims on the one hand and the Corsicans, who seem to be in control of the prison because they have several connections with the guards, on the other. Malik is an Arab, but he doesn`t practice their religion so he doesn`t seem to fit with the Muslims and he isn´t Corsican either. Cesar Luciani (Niels Arestrup) is the leader of the Corsicans inside the prison and after a new Arab prisoner arrives who happens to be a key witness against one of them, Cesar has to find a way of killing him before the trial. The problem is that since he is an Arab he can´t get to close to him and therefore realizes that Malik is the right person for the job. The Corsicans force Malik to kill him and offer protection in return, although Malik doesn`t really have an option because if he doesn`t comply they will kill him. Malik, despite being an Arab, begins serving the Corsicans and little by little wins the confidence of Cesar, although he is seen by the rest of the mobsters as a dirty Arab. Malik begins learning how to read and befriends his teacher, Ryad (Adel Bencherif), and at the same time he begins learning Corsican and the mobster lifestyle. Little by little Malik begins to learn more about criminal life and slowly begins to rise. He is not the same person he was when he arrived at the prison.

Un Prophete has a very interesting plot, but it works in the most part because of the great performances given by the lead actors Tahir Rahim and Niels Arestrup who are just outstanding and very believable in their roles. The success of a character driven movie depends most of the time on the actors, and newcomer Tahir Rahim gives an Oscar worthy performance. The movie is about two and a half hours long and requires your full attention because of the parallel action sequences, but the movie doesn`t seem to drag at any point and it never gets to a point where you begin to lose interest. Un Prophet is an excellent film and one you will enjoy. It is definitely worth your time so I recommend you check this movie out.

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