I am boggled by the movie too, and I feel the need to discuss it. The problem is, I don't know where to start. I guess one question I'm asking myself is what do the first few frames represent? First dust falls on their arms, so I'm guessing that's a simulation of what happened to the population of Hiroshima, but then, gold dust falls on their arms. What does that signify?
Actually, come to think of it, this spawns new questions. Obvious ones, like what happens after the end of the film. In the few seconds preceding it, the characters state that they ARE their hometowns:
"I am Anvers"
"I am Hiroshima"
The characters affirm that they are different, that they will never be able to separate themselves from their past. That they can't forget, no matter how hard they try. Well that's my interpretation. But does that mean, they are going to stay together? Their rejection of forget leans me towards the yes answer. They admit that they will not be able to forget each other, in that case, they must stay with each other to avoid the pain of regret.
So here's a beginning of discussion I guess. It would be helpful if anyone could follow up.
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hardtruth
19 years ago
It represents the destruction of the war, and the later embrace of the two lovers. The intertwined limbs amidst the dust show their current embrace battling for memory over their war time past. She is talking about being in hiroshima and he is saying you were never there. She is talking about hiroshima but really she is remembering her own tragedy. But at the same time she is describing being in hiroshima and visiting the shrines and seeing the burned people in photographs. When he says "you were never there" he is reminded that the shrines and re-creations are nothing like the real event.
The visual portrayal and the dialogue work on several levels. Both characters are struggling with the memory of who they were, which has shaped their entire lives, versus their memory of each other. They could be happy if they could both forget, but you can't forget that much pain, no matter how you try. That, I think, is the essence of the movie.
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