Ah, l'Amour (1995)
In this clever satire of toxic men, a cartoon pickup artist is violently torn apart by the women he targets, seen only through his own one-sided, ridiculously misogynistic point of view. Don Hertzfeldt's first student film, he plays the part of a mentally unwell animator who's losing his grip within his own movie; an idea he'd later revisit in other early "meta" shorts "Genre" and "Rejected". Despite being produced at the age of 18 and not intended for exhibition, HBO named it "The World's Funniest Cartoon" in 1998.
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Sadly Over-hyped
Pretty Good
It’s sentimental, ridiculously long and only occasionally funny
A clunky actioner with a handful of cool moments.
Though not on the level of insane brilliancy as with Don Hertzfeldt's most recent (within the last several year), Ah L'Amour displays the beginning of the Hertzfeldt logic, only this time in a somewhat more innocent form. In several vignettes we see the act of rejection from women in its most base forms, no matter what is asked there is a violent, murderous reaction with "I just want my space", or "No means no you bastard" preceding it. Hertzfeldt also crumples up the paper and starts all over again with each new try, and its sort of heartfelt in its most utterly crude way. It's like a dash of hopelessness given the finest touch, however not yet totally honed to a point, of dark whimsy. The absurdity of Hertzfeldt is there too, though as a "bitter film" by the director it actually ends much more on that note than with everything else. Oh, and a special thanks to a friend- caffeine!
Don Hertzfeldts first real cartoon is a masterpiece of violence, cynicism and bitterness. The simple stick figure style contrasts beautifully with the blood and gore on-screen, and in combination with the silly little tune in the background you can't help but to laugh.It's a good thing it doesn't last any longer. 2 minutes of this is tiring enough for my laugh-muscles. Animation has really been this funny, and I wonder if it'll ever be again. Anyone who saw this back when it was "released" must have seen more great things were on it's way from Don.Don't miss this little gem. If you ever see the name Don Hertzfeldt, check it out no matter what. Surreal entertainment is guaranteed.
This film is so good it should be shown to small school children. Don clearly understands the mystery of love well. I saw this online and sent it to everyone I know. I would like to have it put in the Library of Congress. Shown in theaters like the THX sound check . Relationships are soul stealing ordeals that are best left hidden but Ah Lamour is brilliant. It's funny but the minimum number of lines for a comment is ten here on IMDb . That means I have to write almost more lines that the length of this film. Weighin in at around a couple minutes Ah Lamour is a power packed mini movie. After seeing it you will give up dating, sex and having children. If bitterness is your fuel I highly recommend Ah Lamour. For stick figures the animation is actually quite brilliant. See it.
Ah, the beauty of love. Ah, the splendor of its glory. Ah, the agony of rejection. TOTAL agony, that is!This timeless favourite of the Spike and Mike Sick and Twisted Animation Festival follows the adventure of our hapless male who receives brutal beatings from women when he tries to innocently ask them out. Brutal, as in having his head bashed in, his eyes driven in by stakes, or his heart ripped out. Yes, a love story! Sick and simple, much like "Billy's Balloon".Best way to view: in a large group with the men reading the male lines and the women reading the female lines. Note how most women cheer at our hero's demise. Hmm, makes one wonder! Available on Spike and Mike video collections.