"La Jetée" Discussion

After viewing "La Jetée", I have a few thoughts. Most of them are not great. 

I think maybe I had a difficult time understanding what this film was meant to portray. Rather than using videos, this film uses a series of still images shown in a slideshow format with narration to support it. For this reason, it reminded me of something you'd see in a documentary. Plus, the black and white aesthetic with the historical context of WWII made me think, "This is definitely a real thing that actually happened." I was watching the entire thing as if it was a factual, real story. That was my first mistake.

Because of this (incorrect) viewership mindset, I had many questions, specifically about the supposed experiments that took place. Questions such as: 

1. What exactly occurs during these experiments? Are the subjects being shocked? 

2. Are their dreams being monitored while they sleep? How are the scientists obtaining these images of the memories? How does the technology work?

3. How and why does the memory change as it is re-remembered? Is it the memory tarnishing over time due to repetitive recall? Are the scientists manipulating the memory manually for the sake of the experiment? Or, is this a new event that is happening in real time as he joins this woman?

4. What exactly are the sleep-mask-esque looking contraptions, and what do they do? It's mentioned that the subject is in pain while wearing them, but how?

Especially so, I thought it was interesting to note that the original purpose of the experiment was to find a hole in space-time so that the human race could gain the aid of both the past and the future as a means of obtaining food. For survival. But what is the experiment actually used for? Hanging out with a woman?

I also think it's absolutely ridiculous to believe that a genius scientist thought it was more plausible to travel back and forth in time than to just build a rocket to take us to space. I mean, it is rocket science, but still. 

Overall, this piece felt more like a slideshow than a film to me. While I understand it holds great artistic significance, I don't think the message resonated with me as much as it may have for others. My brain was constantly trying to poke holes in the science-fiction plot, and the lack of visual storytelling left me wanting more. 

While I do admit my viewing of this film is probably more of a user error than an artistic flaw, I still felt my questions were valid.