Today, Sony Classics is releasing Amour on DVD & Blu-ray.  The film opens with firefighters breaking down the door of an apartment, only to find the body of Anne (Emmanuelle Riva) lying on a bed.  After this shocking flash forward, we go back to find Anne living with her husband Georges (Jean-Louis Trintignant).  But then Anne suffers a stroke, and Georges is left to care for her as she slowly and painfully slips away.

With brutal honesty and powerful performances from Jean-Louis Trintignant and Emmanuelle Riva, Amour captures the feeling of watching the last few days in the life of someone who is slowly succumbing into silence, and the film deservingly won the Oscar for Best Foreign Film.  As director Michael Haneke forces us to confront all of the pain that can come at the end of a deeply formed love, we are left heartbroken, but thankful to have had the experience.  Please read my full thoughts on Amour right here.

The DVD includes a Q&A with Michael Haneke and a “making of” featurette.

Amour is 124 minutes and rated PG.

-John C.