Film Language Tag: asynchronicity (narrative)
Discontinuity of diegetic time and space made synchronous by epistolary media, memory flashbacks, longing narratives
"I Choose Nevers", Hiroshima Mon Amour
He (Eiji Okada) learns about her (Emmanuelle Riva) first love, a German solider (Bernard Fresson) who was killed before they could elope.
Anna and Katerina, Eternity and a Day
Alexandre (Bruno Ganz) visits his daughter Katerina (Iris Chatziantoniou) and gives her letters from her mother Anna (Isabelle Renauld). Katerina reveals she has sold the old family home.
Bucharest, Ulysses' Gaze
A (Harvey Keitel) and Kali (Maia Morgenstern) arrive in Romania, and A addresses a woman as his mother (Mania Papadimitriou).
Closing Sequence, The Namesake
Nick/Gogol (Kal Penn) attends a going-away party for his mother, Ashima (Tabu), who is departing for India. He visits his childhood bedroom and discovers the Nikolai Gogol book that his father, Ashoke (Irrfan Khan) has gifted him, and speaks with his mother about his wife, Moushumi's (Zuleikha Robinson) affair.
Destroy Me, Hiroshima Mon Amour
He (Eiji Okada) asks her (Emmanuelle Riva) to stay in Hiroshima. They walk around the city.
Dime-Store Romance, Hiroshima Mon Amour
He (Eiji Okada) and her (Emmanuelle Riva) walk to the Hiroshima train station.
Eleni's Lost Letter, The Dust of Time
Eleni (Irène Jacob) and Spyros (Michel Piccoli) have an intimate encounter and are separated. Someone trashes A's (Willem Dafoe) hotel.
Elle and Lui, Hiroshima Mon Amour
A French actress (Emmanuelle Riva) and a Japanese architect (Eiji Okada) wake after a night together.
Happy New Year, Ulysses' Gaze
A (Harvey Keitel) celebrates many New Year's with his family, including his "mother" (Mania Papadimitriou) and his "father" (Giorgos Konstas).
Her Forgetting, Hiroshima Mon Amour
She (Emmanuelle Riva) tells him (Eiji Okada) about recovering from her German lover's (Bernard Fresson) death.
How Long Does Tomorrow Last?, Eternity and a Day
Alexandre (Bruno Ganz) revisits the empty family home and recalls Anna's (Isabelle Renauld) letter.
Lina and Ying-Ying's Marital Struggles, The Joy Luck Club
Ying-Ying (France Nuyen) hears of her daughter, Lena’s (Lauren St. Clair) marital troubles with her fickle husband, Harold (Michael Paul Chan). Flashbacks of Ying-Ying’s abusive Chinese husband, Lin Xiao (Russell Wong) link mother and daughter.
Nick/Gogol Learns About His Name, The Namesake
Max (Jacinda Barrett) visits Nick/Gogol's (Kal Penn) childhood home and meets his parents. Ashoke (Irrfan Khan) tells Nick/Gogol about the origins of his name. A flashback captures Ashoke's traumatic train accident.
The Cellar and the Tea Room, Hiroshima Mon Amour
At a tea room, he (Eiji Okada) learns about the aftermath of her (Emmanuelle Riva) love affair spent locked by her parents (Pierre Barbaud, Stella Dassas) in a cellar.
Vaniushka, Ulysses' Gaze
A (Harvey Keitel) awakes naked in a widow's (Maia Morgenstern) ruined house.
Yesterday They Were Still Here, Eternity and a Day
Alexandre (Bruno Ganz) goes to the hospital to see his mother (Despina Bebedelli).