The film, directed by Austrian Michael Haneke, deserves to sweep the 2012 Palm d'Or at Cannes, two awards (Best Leading Actress and Best Film Not in the English Language) at the 66th British Academy Film Awards and four awards at the 25th European Film Awards.
What a great salute to senior film-makers and actors - director Michael Haneke just turned 70 and the two principal actors in the film, Jean-Louis Trintignant and Emmanuelle Riva, are both in their 80s. This is particularly a big feat for the director to have successfully brought Trintignant on board as the actor has retired from films since 1998! Emmanuelle Riva is not only beyond excellent in her role as the dying Anne, but she's also stunning at 86, both with or without clothes.
European movies are always more subtle and potent than North American ones, but this film manages to invite us, the audience, to participate in and observe the long and painful process of the body withering away. Ninety percent of the film was shot within the elegant Parisian apartment and we're witnessing just daily chores of what could be happening to ourselves or to our friends' families. But the apartment, as well as our bodies, could be prisons and the film is painful to watch because all of us either have experienced this kind of pain or, even worse, to see the cinematic mirror reflecting the imminent winter of our our own aging bodies!
The director is honest and minimalistic, but at the same time, brutal and raw in depicting the pain and truth of mortality. What's happening with the well-cultured and well-to-do octogenarians could happen to many, many others in different parts of the world. The couple has always been self-reliant throughout their lives and until the very end. Unfortunately, boomer kids are depicted as useless and only enhance the burden of the helpless couple. Yes, life is cruel, but it's also beautiful according to Anne (played by Riva)who's leafing through her photo albums during her last days.
We're never told what exactly happened to Georges (played by Trintignant) towards the end; but this is where I'm interested in comparing notes with my friends because the conclusion is subject to different interpretations. And, of course, the metaphor of the visiting pigeon and how Georges described it in his letter.
We learn from this movie that love is passionate, caring, routinely and fun; but more importantly, it's cruel, poignant, strong, violent and it eventually does come to an end like our frail bodies!
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