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Parents' Guide to

Amour

By Jeffrey Anderson, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 16+

Complex drama with violence is demanding for any age group.

Movie PG-13 2012 127 minutes
Amour Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

age 13+

Based on 5 parent reviews

age 16+

What happens 50 years after you've met your soul mate?

An incredibly moving film about septuagenarians of which we have too few films. Most films are about getting together with that soul mate. What about fifty years after the wedding? What about when one of you has a stroke and the other now has to take care of their partner in all ways and none of it is as you imagined. What about when you are completely beholden to others and you no longer feel like you can live your life with dignity? Heartbreaking and meditative.
age 14+

What does it mean to be there for your spouse at the end?

The category ratings on this are hilarious. Violence at 4/5 (how on earth would this same scale be used for something like Pulp Fiction?), 1/5 positive role models, and sex also at 4/5 for an elderly woman’s breast seen while bathing. They can’t possibly be serious. These should be 2/5, 3/5, and 1/5, respectively. Younger kids and teens are not going to be interested in this at all because it’s just too quiet and slowly paced. It’s so patiently paced and focused on end-of-life caregiving that there would be no impact from the (I’m still laughing at this) “sex” and very little from the violence unless your kid has never seen anything besides Mr Rogers and Freaky Friday. The husband is absolutely worth seeing as a positive role model in many respects despite the two obvious moments of failure depicted on screen. He is the one person totally committed to his wife’s day to day care, well past what even some of the nurses provide. Of course the peak dramatic action is intended to raise questions about how far you should go in honoring your spouse’s wishes at the end of life, not as an endorsement.

This title has:

Educational value

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (5 ):
Kids say (5 ):

This movie has complex moral layers that force viewers to consider very tough questions. Acclaimed German-born director Michael Haneke makes movies like a kid with a magnifying glass, tormenting ants; on the one hand, he's not safe, but on the other, he has a kind of disdain toward his viewers. His films are like a challenge to see how strong a viewer's constitution is. There's a certain chilliness in the air, and it often seems as if Haneke doesn't care about his characters as more than just moral experiments. (The title, AMOUR, which translates to "love," can be seen as both literal and ironic.)

As a result, some viewers may come away from the movie with their heads full of thoughts but their hearts largely untouched. Yet Amour is an exceedingly well-made movie, with excellent acting, and carefully chosen shots that emphasize the drama. Additionally, it's a rarity to see movies about older folks, and in that, the performances by these veteran actors are exemplary.

Movie Details

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