Boy, this is a weird one...

Last Year at Marienbad is the lilting, existentially romantic tale of a man (Giorgio Albertazzi) and a woman (Delphine Seyrig) who meet at an opulent chateau only to wonder whether they met at this exact chateau and had an affair one year earlier. As they wander through the dreamy fanciness of this labyrinthine, they struggle with the past, present and future of their relationship, trying to figure out both intellectually and emotionally where their interrelation stands.

There's an excellent essay included with this Criterion Blu-ray Disc package that talks about how critical response to the film isn't exactly universally positive - in the essay, writer Mark Pollizzotti mentions that iconic American movie reviewer Pauline Kael referred to the film as an "aimless disaster" - but from early on in Last Year at Marienbad, it's apparent that this is not a film to feel indifferent about: You either get sucked into its whirlpooled navel-gazing or dismiss it as talky, pompous tripe within its first few minutes.

This writer is still not exactly sure what to make of director Alain Resnais - his two earlier Crtierion releases (Night and Fog and Hiroshima, Mon Amour) have left me quite disappointed - but Marienbad is far more bold and exuberant than his other Criterion titles. I don't think I understand it, I doubt that I picked up on all its nuance, but I'll say this: I sure as Hell enjoyed watching it.