I love watching the Golden Globes. But this year, besides all the fun that went with watching the awards ceremony, there was also the sad realization that the pro-euthanasia film Amour was met with critical acclaim and awards. The film won the Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film and garnered a 93% rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes. According to IMDB, the film has 16 awards and 16 nominations.
I was disgusted with such a win, and I alerted friends and family watching that this film portrays euthanasia in a glorified manner. As I discussed the matter with my brother, particularly the awful realization that amour means love, suggesting that the pro-euthanasia message is a loving one, I overheard my mom telling my sister what euthanasia is and what must happen in the movie. My boyfriend was equally disturbed by the connection between euthanasia and the translation of the film’s title being love.
I’m distraught with the Golden Globe’s win, as well as its top-prize win at the Cannes Film Festival. Perhaps even more troubling, though, is that the Academy Awards nominated Amour not onlyfor Best Foreign Language Film, but for five awards in all. The film is nominated for Best Achievement in Directing, Best Foreign Language Film of the Year, Best Motion Picture of the Year, Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role, and Best Writing-Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen. The categories of Best Director and Best Actress are particularly crowded categories and thus coveted roles. Thus, I am displeased that the Academy not only snubbed more deserving directors, but did so to give such a film this spot.
I’m sure you can guess what happens in the film if it’s about euthanasia. But if you want to read what happens at the end exactly, I recommend reading an article on LifeSiteNews by Peter Saunders, which is how I first heard about the film.
Do I think a film can feature a terrible occurrence and still be a good film? I do. I believe that how the filmmaker addresses the occurrence is important, though, in addition to how well the film is made. The filmmaker in this case is sending out an unfortunate message when he so obviously equates euthanasia with love.
Other wins I was not too thrilled with were Lena Dunham’s win for Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy for “Girls” and the show’s win for Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy. You may know Lena Dunham for her offensive ad comparing voting for the first time for with losing virginity.
