Review of Je T'Aime, Je T'Aime (1968) by Irvin C — 04 Nov 2012

An eerie, surreal time-travel film with a focus on memory and character. A suicidal man, haunted by his past, is placed in a secret science-experiment, but when a malfunction occurs he finds himself endlessly reliving moments of his life, out of order and out of context.

Very little explaination is given, instead the audience is left to ponder these moments - some of them beautiful, many of them mundane - and reflect upon his life and our own. The science fiction takes a back seat to an exploration of subjective realities, and the film raises many questions but gives few answers.

This is not a puzzle to be solved but rather a jigsaw, deliberately broken up in order to appreciate the individual pieces. It maintains a bleak tone throughout and creates a claustophobic atmosphere of existential angst and dispair, yet is peppered with humorous, surreal moments as memories and dreams become inseperable.

Michel Gondry has cited this as an influence on Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, and its parallels are clear. The latter does have a stronger visual flair, but Je T'aime is a more challenging film; it is not an easy watch, but it is a rewarding one.