Michael Haneke’s new movie Amour wasn’t the sure bet to win Cannes’ prestigious Palme d’Or award at this year’s festival. Italian director Nanni Moretti — who was sitting at the head of the 2012 jury panel — wasn’t quiet about his profound dislike for the filmmaker’s 1997 violent psychological thriller Funny Games, and Haneke recently won the Palme for 2009 period drama The White Ribbon. Regardless, Amour took home the venerable award for its deeply emotional story about an elderly couple facing their mortality (Jean-Louis Trintignant and Emmanuelle Riva). Isabelle Huppert stars in the film as their daughter who lives abroad. Eventually a health scare tests the bonds of the family.
The film doesn’t open in the UK until November 16, and just this morning no US release date had been announced yet. Deadline delivered the good news this evening, however, that Amour will be released in Los Angeles and New York on December 19. Head to the nearest theater this winter for a closer look at the winning, intimate drama. We’ve shared a trailer for Haneke’s film past the break.