A solitary man rides the train, watching the surroundings change as he slowly drifts to sleep. He’s awoken by a beguiling young woman who offers her astute observations about someone who she claims is a stranger, but yet one she somehow knows so well. Our protagonist slowly begins to fall deep into a state of panic after this peculiar figure departs, leading him to descend into an existential crisis as he plans to return home, only to realize nothing is quite as it seems. There are many ways to describe the work of Bertrand Blier, some of which are more positive than others, particularly since he is a remarkably divisive filmmaker and someone who inspires as much passion as he incites disdain, working in such a way that his films can be considered the epitome of an acquired taste, and his longevity only further adds to the mystique that surrounds his work. This premise is the surface-level description for Our Story (French: Notre Histoire), his fascinating and daring existential drama that follows an ordinary man being plunged into a state of complete despair after a chance encounter with a woman who immediately charms and confuses him with her mysterious nature. Already having established himself as a director with a unique vision, based on the success of films like Get Out Your Handkerchiefs and Going Places, Blier goes in a radically different direction with this film, one of his first explicitly dramatic works (although it is still tinged with dark humour in certain parts, which is entirely expected considering some of the themes he is insistent on exploring), and one that shows a more mature side to a director usually accused of making films more targeted at those with more juvenile sensibilities. Many layers propel Our Story, which is not an easy film to understand at a cursory glance, but part of the unique experience is seeing this narrative unfold, becoming enraptured in the various peculiarities that drive this film forward and being given a truly unforgettable experience.

Blier is a director who makes films that cannot be watched passively, and instead require the viewer to actively engage with its themes, even if it means simply questioning some of the choices he makes in terms of the story. A film like Our Story is not easy to understand at first – we’re plunged into the narrative, given very little information and relying on contextual clues to make sense of the basic facts, after which it becomes primarily a series of moments in the life of the protagonist he as voyages through an uncanny version of reality. Yet, there is a deeper meaning that begins to become more clear as it progresses and some of the ideas start to come together. Our Story is a film about marriage more than anything else – we’re introduced to the protagonist, who is stated as being a dedicated family man committed to providing for his family, long before we come across his wife or children (and even when we are introduced to them, it isn’t clear whether they are his actual family or the product of his continuous delusions spurred by the presence of this beguiling stranger), and he is shown as being somewhat miserable, although he has accepted the fact that he has receded into this bland domesticity, which is in turn challenged by his ongoing existential crisis. Films about marital strife are a dime a dozen, and Blier is not a stranger to exploring these themes as part of his narratives, infusing many of his films with discussions around relationships and the ties that bind them together. It is a far more sombre examination of a man not only falling out of love with his wife, but starting to question his sanity, and through looking at his journey towards infidelity, as well as the aftermath, the film can make several scathing statements on the nature of relationships, and how the idealistic vision of placid domestic life is entirely false, since even the most honest of individuals can be led astray by the unbearable weight of ennui brought on by the same routine, the search for more exciting experiences not always yielding the results that they expect – and often having negative consequences.

As we’ve already made clear, films about mediocre men undergoing a crisis of identity as they realize they are no longer in love with their partners, and instead choose to pursue more exciting experiences through the form of infidelity can hardly be considered bespoke. As a result, Blier had the challenge of finding a way to examine these themes without making the film too heavy-handed or unnecessarily dense or preaching on the subject without reason. It soon becomes obvious that Our Story is less about the meaning and more about how it is executed, with this being by far the most intriguing aspect of the film. The story takes on a stream-of-consciousness approach, exploring the journey of the main character as he attempts to return home, only to encounter various obstacles in the way, including entering what he imagines to be his residence, only to be confronted with people he does not recognize. Blier intends to create confusion throughout the film, and as a film firmly rooted in postmodernism, Our Story is defined by its overt absurdism, which is here rendered as more dramatic than it is comedic, a major change from the more eccentric style of humour present in the director’s previous work. He’s known for his playfulness, so when reconfigured into something more serious, it doesn’t evaporate but rather takes on a different form, one that is equally as enticing and compelling. The narrative structure is unusual and complex, and we never quite manage to get a clear handle on the film, which moves at such a rapid pace and doesn’t relent, even in the moments where it attempts to explain its themes in more detail. Blier is known for his more unconventional approaches to the storytelling process, and Our History is certainly not an easy film to unpack, but as the themes begin to unravel, we find the ingenuity that drives this story becoming more clear, although it requires an abundance of suspension of disbelief, which is not entirely unwelcome considering the unique impression left by the film and its unconventional style that is far deeper than we’d expect at the outset.

His reputation for challenging his actors meant that Blier was able to recruit impressive rosters of performers to bring his ideas to life, and whether working with regular collaborators or actors new to his vision, he consistently brought out stellar work in most of them. Our Story is notable for containing one of the most celebrated performances by the legendary Alain Delon, who works with the director for the first time and delivers an exceptional performance as a man undergoing a major existential crisis after encountering a mysterious woman who takes his breath away and causes him to lose all sense of reality after some time. Delon was superbly gifted, but only a few directors were able to place him in stories that showcased his wealth of talents that exist beneath the surface. It may not be as captivating as some of his earlier work, but this film offers Delon the chance to do something different, especially since he is slightly older and is starting to take on the mantle of an industry veteran, rather than the rambunctious heartthrob he was in his youth. He plays into the complex nature of the story exceptionally well, and having someone more adept at drama gives the film a sense of gravitas that a different actor may not have realized was integral to the narrative. He’s paired with the extraordinary Nathalie Baye in an early performance, and who plays a trio of women that are at the centre of the protagonist’s philosophical angst. There is an argument to be made that Baye isn’t given the chance to develop her performance to be even vaguely as complex and layered as Delon and that the film is mostly formed around objectifying her as different embodiments of the protagonist’s innermost desires – but she nonetheless brings such nuance and complexity to the roles, we barely notice how paltry her material is, since she is such a magnetic screen presence and has exceptional chemistry with Delon, the pair being wonderful and moving the film along at a rapid pace through the strength of their performances.

Our Story is a film that is simultaneously fascinating and frustrating, which is par for the course with Blier, who does not make films that are easy to comprehend or all that approachable, instead operating as unconventional, deeply strange narratives that tackle intimidating subjects in a manner most unorthodox. It is not entirely well-remembered in his body of work and is mostly viewed as a solid experiment more than a career-defining masterpiece, which seems to be a perfect fate for such a film, considering it is far from traditional and tends to draw us in through sheer curiosity, rather than holding a strong reputation that precedes it and implies that it is some sacrosanct work of art. The responses to Our Story have varied, and each one is valid and fascinating – the film offers the chance for widespread interpretation, and the intriguing details embedded beneath the surface reward those who are willing to revisit this complex text. It is mostly known as a vehicle for Delon (many consider this to be the final truly great performance before slowing its output gradually over time), but its complex structure and willingness to engage with themes much deeper than those we are presented with at the start ensure that it is viewed as much more than just a one-dimensional psychological drama, and instead functions as a daring and provocative absurdist text. Blier remains quite controversial as a filmmaker, and his talent is undeniable, while it’s not definitive of his body of work, Our Story is still a tremendous experiment and more than earns our respect through how it actively curates an experience that is constantly pushing boundaries, even if it does so in a way that can be quite uncomfortable at times, an intentional choice that only makes this richer and more evocative in both form and content.