In a technical tour de force, the story of Muriel emerges gradually from the nearly thousand discrete scenes Resnais weaves together with an innovative sound track. Not surprisingly, memory and its emotional undercurrents form the film’s thematic core. Hélène (Seyrig) has a gambling problem. Alphonse (Kérien), an old lover from the past, shows up with a young woman (Klein) he claims is his niece. Hélène’s stepson, Bernard, is obsessed with memories of the war in Algeria, a young girl named Muriel who was tortured to death there, and his friend Robert, who is possibly responsible for the tragedy. Cutting constantly from one character to the next, from night to day, and from location to location, Resnais sculpts a story of deep passion and humanity. His first film in color, Muriel took the International Critics’ Prize at Venice in 1963.