Muriel marks a return for Resnais to themes from earlier films – the unreliability of memory and, as in Hiroshima mon amour, the juxtaposition of the horrors of war, in this case torture, with a romantic relationship. As the title suggests, Muriel is deeply concerned with the past, focusing on characters who threaten to be consumed by their histories, which have indelibly shaped their lives and left them incapable of functioning in the present. Bernard, recently returned from the Algerian war, is haunted by his experiences there, while his stepmother returns to an old lover, less to reunite with him than to obsessively examine their past love. One of Resnais’ most politically engaged films, Muriel explores the devastating aftermath of war and the lasting trauma it inflicts.