Number 2:

In an era where cinemas around the globe are jam packed with CGI explosions, blue aliens and state of the art 3D movies attempting to completely immerse you in the world the story takes place in, it is strange that none of the $200 million blockbusters can get close to the immersive experience I got from a 680,000euro giallo film called Amer.

Brought to you by the creative duo Helene Cattet and Bruno Forzani, Amer tells the story of Ana through three stages of her life, the first being as a child where she wanders her strange house while her family mourn the death of her grandfather, the second being her as a young woman finding her sexuality and noticing the attention of men and the third and final back in the house where she grew up as her childhood demons come to life once again.

Amer is in the simplistic term a shock to the senses, from the horrific and fear stricken first chapter through the sensuality and eroticism of the second and the anxiety and panic of the climax.  As a complete virgin to the giallo genre I was blown away by style and slickness of the film.  The shot composition alongside the score and editing made it a truly hypnotic experience.  I did not get the motifs and homage’s that are supposed to run through each sequence but I didn’t need to.  Seeing this a original film through fresh eyes not trying to notice the odd shot here and there that ties into a older film I believe made my feelings for the film burn that much stronger.

I am not egotistical enough to say that I understood each scene either and there are some that are nonsensical when looking at the overall plot but the plot is not what this film is about, it is about the style and the atmospheres it creates for its audience, it’s about making them feel uneasy when Ana feels uneasy, it’s about telling a story through art and that is a refreshing break from the Hollywood norm.  The film literally has about 10 lines of dialogue so you can understand what I mean by saying that it attempts to tell a story simply through images, take any frame from this film and you could probably hang it on a wall and it wouldn’t look out of place, it is that gorgeous.

The three actresses who played Ana all did good work, the little girl Ana (Cassandra Foret) brought an innocence and sense of wonder to the character, the teenager Ana (Charlotte Eugene-Guibbaud) brought a new found sexuality and the adult Ana (Marie Bos) brought a complete collection of her previous experiences into the fully formed women who we had watched grow and blossom.

As I briefly mentioned above, the 3D epidemic that is raging through the bigger releases of this year and most probably the next few years are Hollywood’s attempt to try and create a better experience and try to let yourself travel to another world that is not your own.  My recommendation to you is if you desire that experience, save the extra few pounds you would spend on one 3D cinema ticket and go see Amer because this beautiful piece of art will transfix your mind until you forget you are actually watching a film.  You feel every gust of wind, every bead of sweat, every scratch of skin in such a way you would believe the directors have been perfecting their technique for decades.

It will be of course hated by some, but hopefully the adoration and respect the fans will pile on it will be able to quash any unneeded negativity to this fantastic piece of cinema.  The directors Cattet and Forzani have created the definition of an art house film, the aesthetic and storytelling is so compelling and complex that it still flabbergasts me that this is their first feature.  A beautifully subversive experience this film is sure to shock film goers with its splendour for years to come and I would like to thank it for opening my eyes to a genre that I knew nothing about.

9/10