Ralph R
Amer isn’t a movie for everyone, but if you’re into Dario Argento or giallo films, there’s a lot to like about it.
Amer is more about the visuals and mood than the story, and while some parts are really interesting, it doesn’t always keep your attention the whole time.
What stood out to me was how much effort went into making it feel like a classic giallo. The colors are super vibrant, and the editing is sharp and sometimes unsettling, with lots of close-ups and weird, creepy moments. Even when the story felt slow, the way it looked and sounded kept me watching. The soundtrack is awesome too, with music from legends like Ennio Morricone and Stelvio Cipriani, which makes it feel even more like a proper tribute to the genre.
It’s not the kind of movie you watch for a strong plot. It’s more about creating a certain feeling and exploring themes like sex and sensuality. If you’re into this style of film, it’s worth checking out.
Rated 2.5/5 Stars •
Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars
11/20/24
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Audience Member
You know, the films of Hélène Cattet and Bruno Forzani kind of frustrate me. I want to love The Strange Color of Your Body's Tears and Let the Corpses Tan, but they felt like they were at times more concerned with their own style, particularly the former. But man, I must have been in the right mood because Amer worked just fine.
We follow the life of Ana, whose life-long search for carnal pleasures is also haunted by the specter of death itself, symbolized as a black lace hand that holds her screams inside her body. There are three different stories and three different versions of our heroine as she grows from a frightened child into, well, a frightened woman played by three actresses: Cassandra Foret, Charlotte Guibeaud and Marie Bos.
The Variety review of this claimed that this film has "virtually no plot to speak of, and repeated use of shock zooms, jump cuts, monochrome filters and hissing sounds." So, basically a giallo, right?
The soundtrack shines, as all manner of 70s Italian murder ballads play, including songs from The Case of the Scorpion's Tail (Bruno Nicolai), What Have They Done to Your Daughters? (Stelvio Cipriani), Black Belly of the Tarantula (Morricone), Killer Cop (Cipriani), The Great Kidnapping (Cipriani) and Adriano Celentano's "Furore," which played over the opening titles of Bava's The Girl Who Knew Too Much, which totally fits into this film.
Sadly, we won't ever live in the glory days from 1970 to 1975, when films like this were playing. But we can dream, can't we?
Rated 2.5/5 Stars •
Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars
02/06/23
Full Review
Audience Member
All shadows and keyholes, a child's perspective. A feeling from the start - something is vey wrong. The creation of mood in that opening is simply brilliant. The obsession with the old man's watch, the breath, the crucifix. Great colours and style - the red and blue, tilts and swirls and closeups so reminiscent of Argento. For that first 1/2 hour - outstanding! And then they just lose it - just like they did on 'Body's Tears' - All style; no substance, no tension.
Rated 3/5 Stars •
Rated 3 out of 5 stars
01/26/23
Full Review
Audience Member
Stylish but unhinged, Amer is bogged down by an intentionally ambiguous narrative though its effective atmosphere and slick visuals are things to be commended.
Rated 3/5 Stars •
Rated 3 out of 5 stars
01/29/23
Full Review
Audience Member
Dizzying, kaleidoscopic 'giallo' homage steeped in sexuality. Unusual doesn't begin to describe and some viewers will be left scratching their heads but for seasoned viewers, a hallucinatory ride.
Rated 4.5/5 Stars •
Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars
02/18/23
Full Review
Audience Member
Stylish, smouldering and hollow...
Rated 3/5 Stars •
Rated 3 out of 5 stars
02/22/23
Full Review
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