Amour Fou

Released by: Film Movement
Released on: October 6, 2015
Director: Jessica Hausner
Cast: Birte Schní¶ink, Christian Friedel, Stephan Grossmann, Sandra Hí¼ller, Holger Handtke, Paraschiva Dragus, Katharina Schí¼ttler
Year: 2014
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The Movie:

It's 1810 Berlin. Tragically self-absorbed writer and poet Heinrich (Christian Friedel) runs into his cousin Marie (Sandra Hí¼ller) at a party thrown by socialite Henriette Vogel (Birte Schní¶ink). Sparkling conversationalist that he is, Heinrich expounds at length on how badly life sucks and oh, by the way, would Marie be interested in killing herself with him. When she politely declines, pointing out that she's going to be busy planning her wedding, he turns his attention toward the soiree's hostess. This time he amps up the rhetoric, insisting to Henriette that she just KNOWS her existence is pointless and that the only reasonable thing to do about it is to join him in a suicide pact. Henriette, who has a devoted husband (Stephan Grossmann) and a talented and refined 13-year-old daughter (Paraschiva Dragus), takes exception to his appraisal of her life and likewise demurs. In the days that follow, however, she's plagued by a series of fits and fainting spells. Then she's diagnosed with a tumor. Her apparently imminent end causes her to ponder whether an intentional, artistically significant death might not be preferable to wasting away in front of her loved ones like a commoner.

Shot in Austria, this excellent German-language film with a French title (meaning "Crazy Love") is a very dry comedy based loosely on the true story of Heinrich von Kleist and Henriette Vogel. A contemporary of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Kleist has long been considered one of the great German Romantic writers. The real-life Vogel was also an intellectual heavyweight, although her accomplishments have been eclipsed by those of her partner in death.

The suicide pact between the two lovers is probably among the most famous in literary history, but many of the story's particulars are lost to time and rumor. She allegedly had cancer (and is said by some to have been the one who cooked up the double-suicide idea), but nobody knows for certain. At any rate, he was 34 and she was 31 when they did the deed near a Berlin lake called the Kleiner Wannsee. The Catholic Church refused to bury them due to the nature of their deaths, and they are said to be buried at the spot where they died. Whatever the case, the suicide site was spiffed up in 2011, with new landscaping, paths through the woods, and tourist-friendly markers. (His reads: “He lived, sang and suffered/in gloomy and difficult times/he sought death here/and found immortality.” Whatever.)

While the incident itself may have been a tragedy, it's a tragedy that has resulted in at least one terrific film. Amour Fou is driven by a sense of dry humor that is alternately poignant and caustic, poking fun at the absurdity of intellectual pretension.

Video/Audio/Extras:

Film Movement has released Amour Fou in 1080p high definition with an MPEG-4 AVC encode. The film is presented in its original theatrical ratio of 1.85:1, and what a transfer it is! Clarity is astounding, with detail in every aspect of every frame, from fibers to foliage and from faces to fine lines. The film has a period setting, and director Jessica Hausner weaves a rich tapestry of images bound together by light and color. Obviously shot on hi-def digital video, just enough grain has been added to give it a slightly filmic look while retaining all the gloss and sharpness of the best of digital. There's no crush, and naturally no speckling, dirt, or debris.

Film Movement has utilized a German LPCM 2.0 audio track, which suffers from no hiss or noise. Voices come through loud and clear. For those who don't speak German, English subtitles are included.

Extras are plentiful. There are trailers for The Marquise of O (1:34), Full Moon in Paris (1:21), and Stations of the Cross (1:58), as well as an original trailer for Amour Fou (1:44). There's an interview with the director, conducted in German and subtitled in English, which lasts just under eight minutes; in it, she explains how she struck upon the idea for the film. Four deleted scenes are provided: "Thoughts While Speaking" (2:47), "Heinrich's Dream" (1:08), "Henriette's Dream" (3:18), and "Walking in Tiergarten" (1:04), which were better left on the cutting room floor. Finally, there's a bonus music video for the duo Attwenger's single “Oida,” also directed by Jessica Hausner and which runs three minutes exactly.

The Final Word:

Amour Fou is shockingly entertaining, with a morbid wit and understated performances. To match the film's aesthetic qualities, Film Movement's Blu-ray treatment is above par, with great imagery and sound. There is also a nice collection of extras.

Christopher D. Workman is a freelance writer, film critic, and co-author (with Troy Howarth) of the Tome of Terror horror film review series. Volume 2 of that series (covering the 1930s) is currently available from Midnight Marquee Press, Inc.

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