'Amour' -- 4 stars

PG-13; 2:07 running time

Small, sure and stunningly acted, this is a picture of exacting control, which is to be expected from Haneke, whose works include "Cache" and "The White Ribbon," and whose "Funny Games," "The Piano Teacher" and others taunted audiences with meticulous exercises in narrative cruelty. "Amour" is no stranger to that sensibility; at one point, in fact, before we know him well, Georges is described by Anne, sweetly: "You're a monster sometimes." Even so, "Amour" is not kidding about its title, which comes crashing into the opening sequence just as the corpse is revealed. -- Michael Phillips

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January 10, 2013