The film received positive reviews from critics and three nominations at the 62nd Academy Awards; Best Supporting Actress (for Huston and Olin) and Best Adapted Screenplay.

He also is having an affair with Masha, whose own experiences in a concentration camp have left her embittered about God and Judaism; she emigrated to New York with her mother and married Leon, an older man from whom she is estranged.

After she swears on her own life that Leon is lying about her, Masha and Herman find a Rabbi to perform the ceremony without asking questions.

Admitting to Tamara that Masha's pull on him is too great but promising to support his unborn child, Herman leaves Yadwiga for good.

Unable to pay for the funeral but realizing she can't bear the thought of not being buried next to her mother, Masha asks Herman to commit suicide with her.

The consensus states: "Enemies, A Love Story finds writer-director Paul Mazursky operating near peak form, weaving a richly melodramatic tapestry brought to life by a stellar cast.