Amour

by McMurphy Quito

Many European films have surprised me by their approach to narrative. Amour is one of those films that really stuck with me even after the movie.

The whole narrative was about the married life of Anne and Georges. The world they lived in changed when Anne has a stroke. Georges deals with it until she has another stroke that makes it even more difficult for both of them. Anne’s physical and mental deterioration has made Georges miserable and conflicted. But the shocking thing was when Georges decided to euthanize his wife out of the blue. Was it because he loved her and did not want to see her suffer? Or was it because he was tired of taking care of her? Or was it because he knew that’s what she wanted? The answer is vague and we may never know.

In relation to Levinas’s idea about the Other and seeing the Other as a Face, Georges has shown the audience the most extreme circumstance in which you can take care of the Other. Unlike Anne, Georges is physically well and very capable of living independently, yet he chooses to stay with her and take care of her. He showers her, dresser her up, soothes her pain, feeds her, and cater to all her needs. We see not only an act of kindness, but an act of going beyond oneself and reaching out to the Other. His actions extends out and affects Anne’s life. There was a point in the movie in which a nurse forcefully brushes Anne’s hair. Georges immediately fires her. Although the nurse was doing her job, she was only doing what she wanted (the way Anne’s hair to look). Her actions were more directed towards her. As for Georges, he does it for Anne.


The fact that Anne has become incapacitated, it’s amazing how Georges sees her as still his wife. He does not see an old woman, a burden, or someone who is just taking up space. Georges sees the Face in his wife because he is extending himself to her. He talks to her the same way before they were married. He holds and lifts her lovingly. He is being there for her. Despite the tragic ending, he has done all that he can humanly do to make his wife happy. And that represents what we can do for the Others in our lives.