The article focuses on two protagonists in the film, ‘Hiroshima mon amour’ who have traumatic experiences. The setting of the film is Hiroshima, during the Second World War; where the two protagonists witness a lot of destruction and human suffering. The two have different traumas in their life which they are unable to overcome.
Elle, a French woman, witnesses the suffering people go through in the city of Hiroshima during World War II. In her hometown of Nevers, she is considered a traitor because of her romantic relationship with a German soldier. She seems keen to use what she has witnessed in Hiroshima as a ruse to forget her own traumatic memories (Wood 185).
Elle and her lover Lui, a Japanese soldier are bound by their experiences of Hiroshima. Elle recounts the Nevers story of her love affair with a German soldier who died to Liu. She uses her memory of the human tragedy she witnesses in Hiroshima as a means to forget the pain she has felt since the demise of her lover.
Her personal loss and tragedy is intertwined with a larger catastrophe in the form of the total destruction of Hiroshima. Her love affair with the German soldier caused her to be tortured in Nevers; since this was considered a betrayal to France. Elle is a symbol of resistance; her actions were contrary to the expectations of the society she lived in (Wood 186).
Liu’s involvement with Elle in the story helps her to open up about her past filled with traumatic experiences difficult to forget. The two are involved in a contradictory situation because their nations are at war; yet they manage to have comfort in their relationship.
Elle shows that, a youthful spirit of rebellion is difficult to restrict as she does not conform to her society’s expectations. Elle and Liu use their bond to deal with problems they have experienced as a result of the war. Their association helps them to put behind their traumatic experiences to embrace a new future (Wood 187).
The story between Elle and Liu manages to show personal struggles that humans have to live which are caused by circumstances around them. Elle has a dark past which results from the death of her lover and the torture she endured in Nevers. The war provides a connection that links her with her true love; a German enemy combatant.
The destruction of Hiroshima gives her a ruse for forgetting the traumatic feelings of loss and pain she has felt since the departure of her lover. Liu has his own trauma as well which he needs to overcome (Wood 187). His involvement with Elle makes him come to terms with his own trauma. He has a lot of pain after witnessing the horrors of war in his country.
Elle and Liu show the significance of human bonds in helping people come to terms with what has happened to them in the past. Liu serves as the link between Elle and her past. The protagonists hail from two distinct cultural backgrounds yet the circumstances they face bring them close (Wood 189).
They personify the different forms of human suffering that people had to endure after the bombing of Hiroshima. Their will to forge ahead is strengthened after their erotic liaison and this gives them the courage to put behind traumatic experiences they have endured.
Works Cited
Wood, Nancy. Vectors of Memory: Legacies of Trauma in Post-war Europe. London : Berg, 1999. Print.