Hiroshima Mon Amour
1959 · 1h 32m · Drama, History, Romance
Watch this tonight if you're in the mood for something challenging and cerebral—this New Wave masterpiece uses intimate dialogue and fragmented storytelling to wrestle with love, memory, and history in ways that still feel revolutionary. Fair warning: it's deliberately paced and demands your full attention, but the 96% RT score exists for a reason.
Plot
The deep conversation between a Japanese architect and a French actress forms the basis of this celebrated French film, considered one of the vanguard productions of the French New Wave. Set in Hiroshima after the end of World War II, the couple -- lovers turned friends -- recount, over many hours, previous romances and life experiences. The two intertwine their stories about the past with pondering the devastation wrought by the atomic bomb dropped on the city.
Director: Alain Resnais
Cast: Emmanuelle Riva, Eiji Okada, Stella Dassas, Pierre Barbaud, Bernard Fresson