1963 · drama · french
Muriel
Directed by Alain Resnais1h 57m1963
In the seacoast town of Boulogne, antique furniture saleswoman Hélène lives with her stepson, Bernard, who's back from military duty in Algiers. An old lover of Hélène's comes to visit, Alphonse, with his niece Françoise; he too is back from Algiers, where he ran a café. Bernard speaks of his fiancée, Muriel, whom Hélène has not met. The past is obscured by guilt, misperceptions, and missed possibilities. Appearances deceive, things change. As Hélène and Alphonse try to sort out a renewal, everyone seems off-kilter just enough to hint that all cannot end well.
Our read: Muriel (1963) reads as a sombre, measured, inventive drama · french entry — measured in intensity, intimate in scope, cold in temperature, nihilistic in outlook, with a strong directorial signature.
Sombre, measured, measured drama / french, inventive in texture. Nihilistic, intimate, cold.
- sombre
- measured
- inventive
- signature
- intimate
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How Muriel feels to watch.
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