Amour • The Next Reel

Michael Haneke is always one to provoke with his films, but rarely do they feel so personal as his 2012 film Amour. He pulled from personal experience with the suicide of his 90-year-old aunt to write the story and then crafted a film that maintains the Haneke distance even while allowing for an emotional film. Join us – Pete Wright and Andy Nelson – as we continue our Foreign Language Films Nominated for Best Picture series with Haneke’s 2012 film Amour. We talk about why this film works even though it’s a film that’s incredibly hard to watch. We chat about Haneke and his filmmaking style, and how that pairs with Darius Khondji’s cinematography. We discuss the powerful performances at the heart of this film from Jean-Louis Trintignant and Emmanuelle Riva. We debate the nature of this type of story and what it takes to be nominated for Best Picture. And we look at the still camerawork throughout and return to one of our favorite websites, Cinemetrics, to look at average shot length.It’s not an easy film to watch but it is one that lingers. We have a great chat about it on this week’s show so check it out then tune in! The Next Reel – when the movie ends, our conversation begins!Khondji Nights: Something Darius Khondji did so well when working with David Fincher he does here in spades — filming night scenes so dark that you can’t see anything happening on screen at all, to the point you think the projection is somehow broken.Join the conversation with movie lovers from around the world on The Next Reel’s Discord channel!Film SundriesLearn more about supporting The Next Reel Film Podcast through your own membership — visit TruStory FM.Watch this film: iTunes • Amazon • Netflix • YouTubeScript TranscriptOriginal theatrical trailerOriginal poster artworkFlickchartLetterboxdSupport The Next Reel Family of Film Podcasts:Become a member for just $5/month or $55/yearJoin our Discord community of movie loversThe Next Reel Family of Film Podcasts:Cinema Scope: Bridging Genres, Subgenres, and MovementsThe Film BoardMovies We LikeThe Next Reel Film PodcastSitting in the DarkConnect With Us:Main Site: WebMovie Platforms: Letterboxd | FlickchartSocial Media: Facebook | Instagram | Threads | Bluesky | YouTube | PinterestYour Hosts: Andy | PeteShop & Stream:Merch Store: Apparel, stickers, mugs & moreWatch Page: Buy/rent films we've discussedOriginals: Source material from our episodesSpecial offers: Letterboxd Pro/Patron discount | Audible