Trixster, did ya ever get any thoughts down for this film?

I wasn't clear in the earlier conversation when I said I bought this the other day...in fact, I hadn't seen it completely at that time. An internet-person I respect a lot had it among his top 5 films ever, and I'd seen clips which I really enjoyed, but I actually watched it for the first time yesterday (or maybe the day before). In either case, I really loved it and am curious what you didn't like.

Few films have ever captured the ideas of memory like this (though, ironically, I watched one (maybe two) better "memory movies" this very week), and I think it works wonderfully, abstraction and flashbacks aside, in the present as a love story. Plus the writing is some of the best, most pleasing 'poetry' I've had the pleasure to listen to in a long time.

It's funny, I don't know if anyone in my class actually liked it; when the prof tried to start discussion on it no one had anything to say. When it came to Breathless, 400 Blows, Jules & Jim, Paris Belongs to Us, any of the other films thus far, the discussion was constantly flowing, but for this film, there was nothing. I don't know if that really means that people didn't like it, but it's not a good sign.

As for me, well..... I've been trying to come up with my reasons, and I'm not sure if I can be any more eloquent than "it was boring". I try never to use that excuse as the main reason to dislike a film, but it was unfortunately true of this film. I was never enthralled or involved with the story or the characters at all; the tale that the girl tells in the middle of the film that takes up a big chunk of it made me feel absolutely nothing at all. I simply didn't care for the characters. I also felt like the Japanese guy was never able to tell his story; I suppose the opening scene showing the tragedy of Hiroshima is kinda his story, but he's definitely not given enough time to express himself. It seems to be to be merely the girl whining for much of the film.

I also had a real problem with the abstractness. I have no real problem with abstractness, but I like there to be something physical for it to build off of. There was none of that here. It was just abstract for the sake of being abstract. I don't know if I didn't get it, but I really didn't care to. I did like the opening scene, as I felt it really got its point across well, but the rest of the film just didn't follow from it.

This is coming across as a really negative review, and I really didn't mean it that way. It wasn't terrible, just pretty disappointing. The use of flashbacks is pretty innovative, and I liked the way it played with image and sound. But the story was weak bordering on non-existent, the characters totally unlikeable, and the themes utterly impassable. I don't think I'll check out Resnais' other work, as if it's anything like this, I don't think I'll like it.

a rather opaque romance movie. much to digest here, but partly seems to be about the human tendency to concoct special meaning between disparate events, people and places. in particular, the cities of nevers and hiroshima and the two men she loves within them are interrelated only from her subjective perspective. a fascinating watch.

for now, B+ (75)