One of the more unconventional tragic figures in the history of literature is Heinrich von Kleist, a marginally well-known poet and writer whose most notable contribution to the culture was actually his suicide – not necessarily the act itself, but the journey he took towards ultimately ending his life, which was well-documented as being a lengthy process consisting of finding a partner that would be willing to undergo a murder-suicide pact, showing their intense love and commitment to his vision, enough to participate in such a bizarre act that seemingly doesn’t carry any real artistic significance, and instead existed purely as a means for the writer to satiate his own desire to die in a manner that he considered romantic. Jessica Hausner, one of the most visionary and daring filmmakers currently working, takes a gamble by choosing von Kleist as the subject of Amour Fou, her delightfully perverse period drama that follows his efforts to find the perfect candidate to participate in this pact with him, which brings him into the life of Henriette Vogel, a young noblewoman married to a pillar of the local community, but who discovers that she has a mysterious disease that is bound to kill her sooner rather than later, leading to her agreeing to take von Kleist up on his offer. A peculiar film with many bold ideas and a genuine sense of chaos simmering beneath its idyllic and visually striking exterior, Amour Fou is a daring piece of cinema, a complex character study that tackles many different tones and styles in its effort to both celebrate and subvert the traditional tropes of a genre that has become hopelessly oversaturated, Hausner’s primary intention being to unsettle and disturb the artistic status quo in a way that redefines how we perceive these stories and the characters that populate them. A very simple film in theory, but one that is willing to take its time to develop on a number of unconventional themes, Amour Fou is often considered the director’s masterpiece, a sentiment that we can understand even without agreeing, based on the daring nature of the subject matter and the fervent desire to present a very different side of history, proving that it is not as desirable as we have come to believe over the years.

Hausner is a filmmaker whose work reflects bold themes, which are made clear not through implementing the most obvious ideas into the story, but rather through the use of allusion and allegory as a viable narrative technique. It may not be quite on the same level in terms of metaphorical depth as Little Joe or Club Zero (which also lean more heavily into the dark humour), but Amour Fou is still a film that uses a simple narrative as the impetus for a deep, complex examination of much broader concepts, which are carefully and methodically pieced together by a director whose attention is not solely on the splendour of this story (since many filmmakers veer towards making period films as an opportunity to embrace the lavish spectacle of the past through both visual and linguistic details), but also in the substance, which is ultimately the element in which this film differs from the many similarly-themed works that we find produced quite regularly. Amour Fou is best described as a gorgeous period drama that invites us to explore the luxurious lives of the German high society in the 19th century, but very quickly reneges on this promise through the process of introducing more bleak themes that gradually erode at the grandeur, until all we are left with is a film that is beautiful to look at, but genuinely quite unpleasant to watch, in the most purposeful sense of the term. Hausner seems to actually be quite unimpressed with von Kleist as a historical figure (if anything, she views him as a mediocre and temperamental prima donna who failed to make an impression in his life, so now has resorted to attempting to leave a mark through his death), and the only reason he is the focus of this film is that he acts as a strong entry-point into the period since his perspective is not interesting enough to be the focus, but he does prove to offer unique insights into the period. What the director is interested in exploring instead are social conventions, particularly the banality of everyday life for these wealthy people, with her ultimate thesis statement being that even the bourgeoisie tend to get bored and seek out ways to overcome their tedious lives – and in some instances, such endeavours can have unexpected consequences.

Amour Fou is superbly well-made, and it tells a story that is consistently fascinating. However, both of these elements are actually secondary to the primary method with which the film conveys its underlying themes since the focus is less on the style or story, but rather on the atmosphere created in the process. Despite its supposedly romantic subject matter, the film is quite dour and sombre, with a stone-faced approach to the narrative making it quite clear what the director intends to accomplish with the material. This is a film that is so tightly wound, that it is impossible to perceive it as an entirely serious work since there is an undercurrent of absurdity that lingers beneath the surface that is difficult to entirely overlook – in fact, it becomes part of the experience, since those who pay attention will find that this film is tinged with layers of deadpan dark humour. Much of this requires us to read between the lines and realize that this is not solely an exploration of the life and times of the main character, but rather a stern and satirical twist on a classic genre, one that is intentionally uptight to the point where it becomes a challenge to take the story entirely seriously, especially when we realize that it essentially comes down to a series of interactions between a depressed poet yearning for a romantic death, and the bewildered members of German high society that are forced to entertain his antics. Hausner approaches this story with an almost severe, harsh precision that leaves very little room for embellishments, and the ambiguities we find scattered throughout Amour Fou are intentional and exist to subvert our expectations when coming from such a lush period film, a genre that is usually known for its splendour and its tendency to contain a seriousness that is not entirely absent from this film, but which is used instead as a tool to lampoon a common style of storytelling and its tropes that tend to sometimes takes itself far too seriously, and which required as daring an artist as Hausner to present it in a radically different way.

The emotional and narrative heart of Amour Fou is Christian Friedel and Birte Schnöink, who portray the two central characters that anchor this film within a recognizable version of reality, playing the star-crossed lovers that end up dying together in a brutal suicide pact that has gained them both notoriety, usually being the aspect of their story that is most commonly-mentioned in the rare instances where they are discussed. They’re both terrific, and play off each other extremely well – Friedel is exceptional as the brooding, depressed poet who yearns for death, solely because he believes an artist living to an old age is vulgar and inappropriate, and that the only people who create work that is worth discussing are those that die young, with the more tragic the circumstances surrounding their death contributing to the value of their work. The role needed someone who would perform it entirely sincerely, without even an ounce of self-awareness present, to maintain the film’s more dour tone that conceals a very bleak sense of dark humour. Schnöink is just as strong, even though she is playing a character who doesn’t have much of an arc of her own, everything she represents being filtered through Friedel’s perspective, another seemingly intentional choice on the part of the director, who infuses the film with some fascinating insights into gender politics and the dynamics between sexes at this particular point in history. There’s a strong supporting cast that weaves in and out of the film where it’s necessary, such as the always delightful Sandra Hüller, who has a very small part but who is an absolute delight every time she appears on screen, and Stephan Grossmann as the husband hopelessly oblivious to his wife’s relationship with the poet that would ultimately end her life. The film may be designed as a romantic drama, but the best parts of both performances at the heart of Amour Fou come when the leads are in combat with one another, and Hausner’s focus on these moments is essentially what makes this such a fascinating character study about two individuals with strong desires, but the lack of foresight to think their decisions all the way through, leading to polarizing results.

It is impossible to deny that Amour Fou is a handsomely-made, well-crafted melodrama and that Hausner turned a relatively simple and predictable story into a multilayered odyssey, combining existential philosophy with sweeping romance and social satire, all three coming together to form quite an unexpectedly offbeat period drama that is as strange as it is captivating. It doesn’t reinvent the genre, and at a cursory glance, it seems to be following the same kind of narrative trajectory we would expect and seems like a run-of-the-mill period drama, featuring the same distinctive traits such as gorgeous costumes, striking locations (and the use of colour in particular is worth nothing – Hausner’s compositions are unmatched, and both in terms of framing and style, the film is a true feast for the senses) and a story steeped heavily in revisiting the past. Instead, it’s when we begin to look deeper that we find the most fascinating elements, those small traces of subversion that the director liberally peppers throughout the film, creating a fascinating blend of narrative and tonal chaos that is perfectly handled by an artist fully in command of her craft. It’s an extremely formal film that borders on being cold and austere, but this is Hausner’s usual directorial approach, and it works exceptionally well, since she doesn’t intend to instil a sense of comfort or warmth in the viewer, but instead wants to challenge us to look deeper and reconsider the various elements of the story through a different perspective. Featuring strong performances and many bespoke elements that make it instantly memorable, Amour Fou is a tremendous film, and one of the most intriguing works the director has yet to produce, proving her impeccable skills and her position as one of the most essential voices in contemporary cinema.