Synopsis
Berlin, the Romantic Era. Young poet Heinrich wishes to conquer the inevitability of death through love, yet is unable to convince his sceptical cousin Marie to join him in a suicide pact. It is whilst coming to terms with this refusal, ineffably distressed by his cousin’s insensitivity to the depth of his feelings, that Heinrich meets Henriette, the wife of a business acquaintance. Heinrich’s subsequent offer to the beguiling young woman at first holds scant appeal, that is until Henriette discovers she is suffering from a terminal illness. Amour fou is a “romantic comedy” based loosely on the suicide of the poet Henrich von Kleist in 1811.
Filmmaker
Jessica Hausner
(Vienna, 1972) She studied directing at the Film Academy of Vienna where she made the award-winning short films, Flora (1996) and Inter-view (1999). In 2001, her debut feature film, Lovely Rita premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in Un Certain Regard. She returned to Un Certain Regard with her second feature, Hotel, in 2004. In 2009, Lourdes was selected in Competition at the Venice Film Festival, where it was awarded the FIPRESCI Prize. Amour fou was Hausner’s third film to be presented in Un Certain Regard, where it premiered in 2014. Little Joe is Jessica Hausner’s fifth feature film and her English-language debut.
Filmography: Little Joe (2019), Amour fou (2014), Lourdes (2009), Toast (curt, 2006), Hotel (2004), Lovely Rita (2001), Inter-view (curt, 1999), Flora (curt, 1995)
Awards
Poster
