The most poetic film ever made. The opening 15 minutes combine horror, beauty, and flesh so seamlessly then transitions wonderfully into a film about an affair where the characters are in a world of their own lust, only mentioning their spouses in passing, and attempting to link themselves to the real world by discussing how the war affected them in Nevers and Hiroshima. The film is filled with wonderful shot compositions and many tracking shots that are just to die for. The editing is fantastic, including my favorite use where Elle sees Lui’s hand laying on the bed then it cuts to a shot of her dead lover’s hand laying in almost the exact same way as she sees now, followed by a quick transition back to the present. It is such a fitting revelation of memory. It’s hard to think of an ending as fitting as the one in this film. I believe this to be the best film ever made.