makes no sense whatsoever

406

#423

"A truly frustrating tug-of-war between conventional narrative and fragmented presentation." - Eric Henderson

Resnais is constantly flooring me in how layered his films are. I've come back to this many times, and taken something new away on each occasion.

An amazing film about how memories of the past shape our lives. The story is told through four main characters, each with their own secrets which affect the way they lead their lives. Resnais' direction is wonderful, he's able to express so much about people simply from how he focuses the camera and through quick edits. Aside from the theme of memories, Resnais has a lot to say about human relationships in general and the film is full of small details that make these characters painfully real.

Good French New Wave movie. Like the music of Santana, Alain Resnais's style has stayed fresh because it *hasn't* changed

# 380

Resnais' third feature doesn't have the weighty monologues of his first two, bringing us much closer to the reality of the characters. We feel that these are genuine people, not abstractions or concepts. Resnais acheives a sense of mystery through his editing, which is challenging, thought-provoking, and most importantly, invites us to revisit this film and piece it together. It does take a while to get going, and much of the first act could be scrapped.

The conceits of an apartment furnished entirely with items for sale and of a modern provincial city reconstructed atop its own ghost after WWII, are tremendously evocative. And Sacha Vierny's color work around this setting is sharp, diamond-hard, luminous -- some of the best ever seen on screen. Indeed the movie as a whole, multifaceted enough to support several viewings and to look a little different with each one, seems at times, from certain angles, to be also among the best ever.

424