SXSW Film Review: Amer
Amer (2009)
SXSW 2010
Directed By: Hélène Cattet and Bruno Forzani
Starring: Cassandra Forêt, Bianca Maria D’Amato
Review By: Kayley Viteo
First, I’d like to preface this review by noting that I don’t really consider Amer to be a horror film, but more of an erotic thriller/art film. However, what you go into this movie expecting is decidedly not what you get, which only adds to the intriguing and overall captivating nature of the film. The problem is, the film comes off as too experimental and while lovingly crafted, you can’t really love a film where the different parts of it don’t connect seamlessly.
The premise of Amer is simple. It is a detailed look at sensuality and desire at three points in the life of a woman, Ana. It is broken up into three parts, one with Ana as a young girl, another in her teens, and later as a young adult. Amer, the French word for “bitter” (which may tell you a little more about how this film is constructed) is essentially a dark portrait of when moments in your life – especially as a child – can mark you in both positive and negative ways. For Ana, the result is decidedly macabre and not at all clear.
To introduce the film, the two filmmakers had a video play before the screening that asserted how the film was meant to be viewed – with audience members as the eyes and the ears of the lead character. I believe this is probably the most important thing to understand about the film, as Amer is extremely image heavy, with little to no dialogue, and does not present a clear narrative. Much like Ana, we are lost in the seemingly random images and sounds, forcing us to walk her same confusing path.
Amer is every inch an homage to Dario Argento, particularly in the first chapter where the use of color is amazing. What works is the general creepiness that seems to invade every movement of the character. There are some wonderfully simple shots here that are so realistic and definitely play off that theme we can all identify with: what you want when you’re a child is not necessarily the best thing for you. Looking through that keyhole or opening the door you were previously told not to just might force you to realize a world that is harmful in ways you can’t even understand yet.
Still, as much I enjoyed the individual pieces of Amer, it is a challenging film to watch. It feels more like someone stuck inspiration from Bava, Argento, and Italian Giallo films and mixed in a blender than like a feature – you get the sense that it would have worked far better as a long short film or perhaps a series of shorts. The supernatural and horror elements of the first section don’t match what I see in the rest of the film, which makes the ending feel almost tacked on or at the very least, clunky. It is a film that essentially starts out horror, but ends up somewhere else and it is like the bookends do not match when they are supposed to.
Amer is enjoyable on an experimental level and should certainly be viewed in a theater if you get the chance, but it does not work on any sort of visceral level for me. While I enjoyed each separate section of the film for different reasons, overall everything feels too mismatched for me to make a real connection to the lead character. For this type of film, where you are literally supposed to be a part of the character, that connection is a vital piece missing and for that reason, I can’t say I’m a fan of it.
