Amer Review

Amer
Played over three vignetters, Amer - or 'bitterness' in Italian - follows the sexual development of French woman Ana from her oppressive teenage years to womanhood on the French Riviera.

by Sam Toy |
Published on
Release Date:

07 Jan 2011

Running Time:

91 minutes

Certificate:

18

Original Title:

Amer

There's not a lot going on in Amer, plot-wise. We’re following Ana (Cassandra Forêt, then Charlotte Eugène Guibeaud, then Marie Bos) through three key experiences in her life, which encompass the biggies: sex, death and wandering around the French Riviera. Short film graduates Bruno Forazani and Hélène Cattet aren’t too concerned with storytelling that adds up to much — their trip is amplifying our experience of Ana’s senses. You see, Amer takes all of its cues (right down to some fantastic musical ones and that cracking French poster) from giallo, which means goodbye to any real sense of logic or narrative drive until the end. But it’s exquisitely shot, well edited, and both sound and visual design are a triumph. Could have been more than one of the great Marmite films, if only they had another 90 minutes of story.

Not for everyone, but fans of Dario Argento will find plenty to like about this otherworldly study of sex and sensuality.
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