Hiroshima mon amour
"From the measureless depths of a woman's emotions..."
Hiroshima Mon Amour - Movie Quotes
Memorable Quotes
Tu n'as rien vu à Hiroshima. Rien.
— Lui (The Man)
Context:
Spoken repeatedly in the opening sequence as the woman describes the artifacts and films she has seen in the Peace Museum.
Meaning:
'You saw nothing in Hiroshima. Nothing.' The film's most famous line, challenging the idea that visiting a museum or seeing a movie allows one to comprehend the horror of the atomic bomb. It establishes the theme of the incommunicability of trauma.
Hi-ro-shi-ma. C'est ton nom.
— Elle (The Woman)
Context:
The final line of the film, spoken in her hotel room.
Meaning:
She identifies him entirely with the city and its history, acknowledging that their connection is bound to this place and time.
C'est mon nom. Oui. Ton nom à toi est Nevers. Ne-vers-en-France.
— Lui (The Man)
Context:
The final response of the film, ending the narrative.
Meaning:
He reciprocates, identifying her by her trauma. It signifies that they have ceased to be individuals and have become symbols of their respective histories.
Je te rencontrerai. Je me souviendrai de toi. Qui es-tu ? Tu me tues. Tu me fais du bien.
— Elle (The Woman)
Context:
Spoken during their intimacy, blurring the line between her current lover and the memory of the German soldier.
Meaning:
'I meet you. I remember you. Who are you? You're destroying me. You're good for me.' Expresses the paradox of their relationship: it is healing because it allows her to feel again, but destructive because it forces her to relive the pain of the past and replace her old love.
J'ai oublié l'amour.
— Elle (The Woman)
Context:
Spoken in the context of her recovery from the madness in Nevers.
Meaning:
'I have forgotten love.' A confession that trauma has numbed her, and this affair is a reawakening.