Well, here we are at 2013. Take that, naysayers! We did make it that far. We’ve had a great year, and it looks like we’ve got a great year ahead of us. The only downside is that one of the first things I decided to do in 2013 is watch the most praised foreign film of the year..well, last year, ‘Amour’. This year is not exactly up to the best start.

You remember when your grandfather told you a story that was pretty boring, but you listened just to be polite, and then you forgot the story a few seconds later? That’s this movie. Jean-Louis Trintignat and Emmanuelle Riva are an old married couple, and Emmanuelle is dying. And that’s all, folks! There’s literally nothing else to it. I’m not saying that death isn’t tragic or anything, but at no point does this movie ever get you invested. In fact, it actually goes out of it’s way to not get you the least bit interested. There are very little edits in this movie, the atmosphere feels like being trapped inside a stuffy old room, and if you took out all of the dramatic pauses, this movie would only be about ten minutes long! There is hardly even any music, and when there is, a character just reaches over to the stereo and turns it off to be more ‘dramatic.’ The actors avoid talking about interesting topics, the cinematography is as bland as white bread.. I just can’t believe a film can be this unintentionally dull. There isn’t even any suspense about the wife’s death, as the opening scene tells you clear as day that she dies in bed at the end. Was the director just going “No suspense, no. That’s what they’d be expecting us to do!”

Now, if you are going to see this movie, it should be for one reason and one reason only. Emmanuelle Riva. You really do believe that she is losing touch with everything, but she simply isn’t worth it to sit through this film. I realize that my review is a little short, but I just can’t remember a whole lot about this movie. But now we’re in 2013, and I can safely say that I’m going to be seeing plenty of exciting movies this year. Of course, I’ve barely thought about this year when we’re so close to the Oscars. Once they’re over, I can put in my predictions. Here’s my first one: Catching Fire for Best Picture! Huh? Huh?

(silence)

**1/2