BIG SCREEN: Amour Revieux (PG-13)

I was so excited to finally see Amour, the French film that’s up for Oscars in the categories of Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actress in a Leading Role. I had read nothing about it, so I had no real expectations, but I’m a sucker for arty foreign films. And, I mean, a French film called Amour? Pass the champagne and bring on the high-brow, chic, European romance!

Um, yeah. Not that kind of amour.

This Amour is the story of an elderly couple, Georges (Jean-Louis Trintignant) and Anne (Emmanuelle Riva), whose pleasant, comfortable life together is cruelly disrupted when Anne suffers a series of strokes that slowly rob her of control of her body. Georges resists suggestions from others to institutionalize her, opting to care for her himself at home. Naturally, this becomes increasingly difficult, and his love for her is put to the ultimate test.

So, yeah -- the subject matter is pretty bleak, but it certainly sets the stage for an amazing love story. Unfortunately, the film is so dedicated to portraying the ugliness of physical decline that it fails to give enough attention to beauty of love.

While I applaud the film's brutal honesty, I really wanted to see more dimension. Georges and Anne’s devotion to each other is apparent, but I found myself wanting to catch a glimpse of how things were between them in happier, more youthful days. I wanted a more complete picture of these lovely individuals and their relationship so that I could become emotionally invested, instead of merely witnessing this painful deterioration. As it stands, Amour felt more like a documentary than a fictional film. This is, of course, a testament to the actors’ incredibly believable performances, but other than a few tender moments and a couple of snapshots in a photo album, there’s no real context beyond this almost clinical look at the cruelty of aging.

Now, I’m not one who requires sappy music and a happy Hollywood ending, but this thing should come with a free prescription for Zoloft, for Pete’s sake! I got a little satisfaction out of the ending (I won’t ruin it for you), but I still walked out of the theater wondering if I should rush home to write out my living will, or just go suck on an exhaust pipe, and get it over with!

I think Ms. Riva is certainly deserving of her nomination, but I’ll be shocked if Amour takes home any other awards. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to try to lighten up with a volume of Shakespeare’s tragedies while listening to "La Boheme."

Amour opens in New Orleans at The Theatres at Canal Place on Friday, February 15.