Roger Ebert's Review

I don't know Roger Ebert, but his review is right.
This movie, once seen by all and sundry, is being forgotten in these days, though it is a real masterpiece. I *think* people don't like it because it is so inevitably depressing; so inevitably a one-way dead-end sad story, so un-uplifting, and yet it touches us, (at least me), it is in some strange kind of way so close to some of our own relations, that we'd might not want to be reminded. It is a mirror of our own childishness when we are frustrated, our own impulses when we want to hurt our foes. Who would like all one's own miseries, and miserable, jealous emotions to become visible in a mirror?
Plus the surroundings! Okay, by that time the house is run down. But it still has a charm, an atmosphere and some individual details, be it the chimney or metalwork on the door in some scene, you name it; and you can be sure that the newly built houses left right, front and behind are basically faceless monstrosities.
This movie not only shows the time elapsing for the couple, but also for the traditional France, the paper, the baguette, in short, the typical French way of life. Everything in parallel, no way out. No possible way out; the house will be torn down 45 days later. No future for nobody nowhere.
How would anybody guess that someone should actually like it!? I for one do, though.