Amer

IMDb Link

This an erotic thriller. Or maybe a psychological erotic film. Or better yet: it defies genres. But it sure is fucked up.

I won't pretend I understood all of it, especially the first sequence, but it seems it's about three moments in the life of a woman: as a kid, a teenager and a grown woman. And she is one messed up individual. Seriously: the bitch has got some issues. I guess you could say she's bitter about something (for the non-French speakers out there, 'Amer' means 'Bitter').

The poster, which is fantastic, tells you everything you need to know, really. But in any case, at the end of the day this is a film about lust and fear and how both are linked together.  Psychologists will love this film, they could write thesis after thesis on it. Indeed, there is a very Bunuelesque (or is it Bunuelian?) aspect to it all.

The viewer becomes a watcher, that is a peeping tom. But we also get to see with her mind's eye. This is a film with perhaps three lines of dialogue all together, so the story is told visually, and it is done beautifully and disturbingly. Really, the first sequence freaked me out...

The editing alternates between long shot and frantic, hectic ones. There are many close ups, all on some part of the body and the human body has never looked more disturbing and disgusting. Always secreting something or other, be it sweat, tears, or blood. Thankfully, and somewhat surprisingly (or perhaps tellingly), no cum, although cum-like substances can be found in nature. Or maybe I'm over-analyzing it.

And of course, there are eyes, many of them, watching, observing, leering, gazing, staring.

The ending is as unexpected as it is baffling, is it a dream, a fantasy or reality? By this point, the lines between the three are so blurred that we don't know, and we don't care. Let me just tell you that it makes the torture scene from 'Audition' look like a Disney cartoon fit for the whole family. And it makes you regret the close ups.

Then it all makes sense, kind of. But the very last shot is fantastic, not because of its framing, but because of what you see.

Added to this interesting story, you have really great music from (obscure) Italian films of the 60s, which is very nicely used. Also, the beautiful cinematography made me think of whatever survived of H.G. Clouzeaut's 'Inferno' and a sunny day has never looked more threatening as in this film. It also had a very Gaspard Noë feel to it, but in a good way and not because it uses gigantic red font in the credits. In fact, this fact reminded me of what Noë could have been doing, were he not busy mentally masturbating.

Speaking of psychological onanism, I guess some people would accuse the two directors of doing that in this film. I can understand why, but I don't agree.

So, bottom line: really good film, not for everyone but worth seeing. I am not sure if I'll watch it again and again, but I am happy I got to see it at least once. And it left me perturbed.

No, that's good, I like being perturbed.
I'm weird that way.