Everyone that I have talked to about Last Year at Marienbad either completely love the film or damn near omit in their mouth from hatred, in fact right before watching it in a class my Professor told the class that about 80% of us would hate him for it.
The reason for the strong emotions that this film creates is from the lack of anything for the audience to grasp on. By this I mean that the film has no real discernible plot line or sense of character. In fact the characters are nameless and are only referred to in the scrips as X, A & M.
The film is also on a continuous shift, for example the setting of a scene will change mid scene without notice or reason. Other elements will change including small details of a game that one character is playing.
This lack of clarity leads the audience into their own pursuit of meaning for the film which for me is half the fun of films like this. There have been countless essays and even whole books dedicated to the films purpose and whether or not it was successful.
Last Year at Marienbad is one of those special films that is engaging solely on the fact that it is so challenging. It is a beautiful film that should be seen and studied.
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