Love Unto Death

Resnais reteams with writer Jean Gruault (Mon Oncle d’Amérique) in this rumination on love, death, and what awaits us on “the other side.” Atheist couple Simon and Elisabeth (Pierre Arditi and Sabine Azéma) are enjoying the first blush of their relationship when Simon collapses suddenly and is pronounced dead. Moments later, he awakens with memories of a hereafter and newfound resolve to embrace life with Elisabeth. Meanwhile, their married pastor friends (Fanny Ardant and André Dussollier) struggle with the suicide of a parishioner. Among the director’s most searching and heartfelt works, Love Unto Death probes the questions of where we go when we die and whether love is eternal. Dividing the film into movements, Resnais achieves a symphony-like quality reflected in Hans Werner Henze’s chamber music interludes.