Last night I attended the official opening of the Durban International Film festival’s French Focus with a screening of Michael Haneke’s Love –Amour; a story about a married couple in their eighties, who, after Anne has a stroke, are faced with the trying reality of living through the perennial struggles of each day.
The gradual decline of Anne’s health is portrayed in painful perfection as her crippling demise pierces your empathetic heart. You watch as her merciful husband George becomes her sole care taker, seeing to her every mundane demand, both physically and emotionally.
What was inspiring to see was that despite Anne’s constant needs and pleading cries, the couple continued to share an inexplicable love, enduring an unbreakable bond and understanding that persisted in and amongst the flagrant misery.
This blatant love was not the only imprint made in the hearts of the viewers, but also the blinding realisation of the sometimes unkind truth of aging. The stark contrast as you grow old rests somewhere in between the plethora of memories that once formed the landscape to your full life, and the resentful levy you are sometimes forced to pay for that life.
In addition to the heart felt story, a testament to the phenomenal cinematography of this film can be supported by the tendency to get lost in the visuals rather than reading the English subtitles. That being said, the authentic dialogue between the two protagonists exuded a raw precision with intervals of charming wit.
A true eye opener that although leaves you emotionally shuffled, is told in a way that brings moments of distinct clarity.
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