Last Year at Marienbad (1961)

Nominated for 1 Academy Award*:

Best Original Screenplay

(*nominated as a 1962 film, based on its US release date)


Last Year at Marienbad is a film I started watching with just a minor idea of the plot, but not aware until minutes ago of the major debate around it, and what big of an influence it had on so many other film-makers. I was just expecting an Alain Resnais movie, that's maybe stylish and maybe a love story. What the film does is throw away traditional storytelling and combine some surrealism with modernism and a whole lot of visual style. And it's not that I am against experimental films, it's just that I almost fell asleep. Some hate it and some call it one of the bests and I understand both sides. Kind of.

The film has no clear plot and the director is trolling us a lot along the way, as if interacting through images and shots with what the male character (they're all nameless) is saying, and adjusting along the way. It took me a while to figure out I won't be getting clear explanations, nor should I expect a resolution, so I should just hope for more interesting visuals. Because indeed the technical merits cannot be denied, especially the GORGEOUS cinematography.
The characters walk around and talk as if it's all in a dream, at an insanely slow pace, that is sometimes comforting (if you want to take a nap) and most of the times just frustrating. 

When you throw away the logic of a movie, I tend to show less interest. But, for example, I can see what Kubrick took from this, for The Shining. In many ways, it's way ahead of its time.

I give it: 5.5/10 (3/10 for story + 8/10 for style divided by 2)

IMDB LINK