Alain Resnais' "My American Uncle" (1980) is an exceptionally different film as a unique blend of science and art, however, it's not necessarily anything entirely new to the director himself. After all, time -- in its ontological, existential and historical context -- has always been a leading theme for Resnais. In fact, throughout his career Resnais has studied how the past forms the present and how our personal and collective memories form our consciousness and culture. Although Resnais' approach has always been more philosophical than psychological, in "My American Uncle" this thematic study has been taken to a whole new level: it has turned into a laboratory experiment with three fictional characters whose stories both differ and coincide, leading into an inevitable fusion.
In addition to this trio the film has a fourth integral character, Henri Laborit, a scientist devoted to basic research, whose evolutionary and behaviorist theories are examined in the lives of the three characters. Sometimes subtle, sometimes blatant, but always fruitful, this blend of science and art results not only in synthesis of reason and emotion, theory and practice, but also in profound dialectics of fact and fiction, reality and cinema. Above all, the freedom of the spectator is an essential element for Resnais and therefore, Laborit's commentary never works as an absolute frame of reference. On the contrary, the viewer is free to choose whether the fiction coincides with his theories or contradicts them.
In close connection with the theme of time, here Resnais studies the essence of humanity. All the characters of "My American Uncle", including Laborit, are introduced from their childhood to the present, and the viewer is given a point of reference to ponder what makes us who we are. Resnais asks, for example, how does biology (gender, temperament and prenatal factors), environment (the films we see, the people we admire, family and culture) and the nerve system affect our development. In brief, Resnais contemplates what it means to be a human being. Laborit himself offers a thought on this by saying that man is "a memory that acts."
All in all, "My American Uncle" is a film that has been built with precision and care. When watched right, it unfolds in an utterly beautiful fashion. The film is as if an organic mosaic -- like human life itself -- which gathers its final, though subjective, form later in the spectator's mind as the pieces come together. The stories, first introduced in collage-like photo montage, aren't finished for they continue their development outside the borders of the screen. These are the stories about perpetual failures and the fragility of happiness and contentment. All the characters are hoping for something better. Their mundane existence is characterized by a constant yearn for freedom, love and happiness. All of them are waiting for something -- for their own American uncle.
In addition to this trio the film has a fourth integral character, Henri Laborit, a scientist devoted to basic research, whose evolutionary and behaviorist theories are examined in the lives of the three characters. Sometimes subtle, sometimes blatant, but always fruitful, this blend of science and art results not only in synthesis of reason and emotion, theory and practice, but also in profound dialectics of fact and fiction, reality and cinema. Above all, the freedom of the spectator is an essential element for Resnais and therefore, Laborit's commentary never works as an absolute frame of reference. On the contrary, the viewer is free to choose whether the fiction coincides with his theories or contradicts them.
In close connection with the theme of time, here Resnais studies the essence of humanity. All the characters of "My American Uncle", including Laborit, are introduced from their childhood to the present, and the viewer is given a point of reference to ponder what makes us who we are. Resnais asks, for example, how does biology (gender, temperament and prenatal factors), environment (the films we see, the people we admire, family and culture) and the nerve system affect our development. In brief, Resnais contemplates what it means to be a human being. Laborit himself offers a thought on this by saying that man is "a memory that acts."
All in all, "My American Uncle" is a film that has been built with precision and care. When watched right, it unfolds in an utterly beautiful fashion. The film is as if an organic mosaic -- like human life itself -- which gathers its final, though subjective, form later in the spectator's mind as the pieces come together. The stories, first introduced in collage-like photo montage, aren't finished for they continue their development outside the borders of the screen. These are the stories about perpetual failures and the fragility of happiness and contentment. All the characters are hoping for something better. Their mundane existence is characterized by a constant yearn for freedom, love and happiness. All of them are waiting for something -- for their own American uncle.