Has anyone else seen this film? It was a huge hit among cinema fans in the 1960s and became a favourite among the college crowd. It's by Alain Renais, and to this day, has not been fully explained. He himself has stated that the film has no meaning, but that hasn't stopped anyone from trying to find any in it, myself included hehe.


It's basically about these three characters, a man, a woman, and her husband (or is he really her husband?). The man insists that he and the woman met the year before, at Marienbad. The woman cannot remember, or, she refuses to admit to it.

So, what happened? Has she ever seen that man before? Is he telling the truth?

The movie does not give you any clues. It starts off in a confusing way, and ends without any answers.

And yet, it's an absolute masterpiece.

Why?

For me personally, I find that its value lies in its ability to give meaning to something that might as well have no meaning at all. Consider one scene where the woman enters, and throws herself on the bed. This is repeated five times, each time from a different angle. Something so mundane suddenly becomes interesting: how do these five shots compliment/contrast with each other? What does this tell us about differing perspective? Is this action really so meaningful that it deserves to be shown from so many angles?

There are no answers, and I think that is the film's virtue: it leaves you with more questions than answers. Actually, it leaves you with no answers, and too many question. That in itself is remarkable. Just think of how often a film failed to provide you with any impressions at all.