"Things will go on, and then one day it will all be over." – Amour  -Written and directed by Michael Haneke.

   It's difficult to imagine a more searing and real depiction of the agonies of caregiving than that portrayed in Haneke's Oscar winning film, Amour. Perhaps, the movie makes us ache because it is so true.

    Amour is not without its light moments, as in this exchange:

Anne:
What would you say if no one came to your funeral? 

George:
Nothing, presumably. 

   But, there is no candy-coating in this moving picture. That is why caregivers will so deeply appreciate it. 

   If you have the courage to visit the fading lives of these two characters you will be rewarded with an experience that will inform your own caregiving.

   The film breeds tolerance. It helps us understand the drudgery of round-the-clock caregiving. It let's us appreciate the kinds of decisions people make amid slow torture. 

   It would be wonderful, as well, if you would share insights from the experiences you have endured as you have looked after the suffering and the dying. The braver and more eloquent we are the more we may teach each other about Love. 

   Amour, with it's spectacular acting and shattering story, is Love as high art. It is an expression of what suffering is about. It is Love as a profound expression of what it means to truly look after each other.

-Erie Chapman