The National Society of Film Critics awarded "Amour" its top honor on Saturday, selecting the film as the year's Best Picture and also naming its director, Michael Haneke, the year's top director.
Haneke's film, set almost entirely in a French apartment, portrays an aging married couple as they adapt to the pressures and limitations of their advancing age. Their love is tested when the wife, portrayed by Emmannuelle Riva, suffers a debilitating stroke.
Critics awarded Riva with Best Actress honors, placing her performance just ahead of Jennifer Lawrence's turn as an emotionally damaged widow in "Silver Linings Playbook."
Riva's co-star in "Amour," Jean-Louis Trintignant, was not among the top vote getters for Best Actor.