The Double Life of Veronique (1991)

Original Title

La double vie de Véronique

Genre

Drama

Director

Krzysztof Kieślowski

Countries

France, Polish, Norway

Cast

Irène Jacob, Halina Gryglaszewska, Aleksander Bardini, Wladyslaw Kowalski, Jerzy Gudejko, Philippe Volter, Janusz Sterninski, Sandrine Dumas

Storyline

As Weronika dies (Irène Jacob) in Poland, the life of Véronique, who looks just like her but lives in France, seems to take a turn. 

Opinion

After loving Kieślowski's Three Colors trilogy and finding out he was the director of Dekalog (I saw Dekalog: One in high school and I loved it but I didn't know the title and that was driving me insane), I knew I had to watch The Double Life of Venorinque. And just like I thought, it was a superb film.

The story to this is simply amazing. It is about two identical women, living in two different countries. They never met and yet they share this incredible and mysterious mental and emotional connection that influences one more than the other. While it isn't very strong with Weronika, the connection fully influences Veronique's life which is truly fascinating.

Through that story, Kieślowski wonderfully and deeply explores the theme of identity and he raises some interesting and deep questions about the existence and definition of self. He explores the human experience and the idea of one's soul trapped in another body.

The Double Life of Veronique doesn't only provide food for thoughts. The film is also visually breathtaking. Other than the stunning cinematography by Slawomir Idziak, the film can truly benefit from a magical use of two colours, red and green. They tie in with the Christman theme at the beginning of the film, but, most important, they represent Weronika and Veronique. They are complimentary, just like the lives of those two women. Also, the music by Zbigniew Preisner is evocative and inspiring, and fit the film to perfection.

And then there is Irène Jacob. Her performance is superb. She is able to portray very well both Weronika and Veronique, and all of their differences. While the first is cheerful and spiritual, the second is more melancholic and practical. 

Three Colors: Red (1994)

Original Title

Trois couleurs: Rouge

Genres

Drama, Mystery, Romance

Director

Krzysztof Kieślowski

Countries

France, Poland, Switzerland

Cast

Irène Jacob, Jean-Louis Trintignant, Jean-Pierre Lorit, Frederique Feder, Samuel Le Bihan, Marion Stalens, Teco Celio, Bernard Escalon, Jean Schlegel, Juliette Binoche, Julie Delpy, Zbigniew Zamachowski

Storyline

After accidentally running over a dog, Valentine (Irène Jacob) meets the dog's owner, a cynical retired judge (Jean-Louis Trintignant) who spies on his neighbours.

Opinion

Trilogies, it is so interesting what someone can do with three films connected together. Most of the time filmmakers end up ruining the first entries, which are usually the good ones. But not Krysztof Kieslowski, that is not his case. What he did instead is getting better and better, and although it isn't my favourite of the trilogy - I really loved the light tones of "White" -, "Red" is simply brilliant and easily the most philosophical and thought-provoking chapter.

After freedom and equality has come the time to talk about fraternity, and Kieslowski does it by telling a brilliant, intriguing and mysterious story about love. That's the feeling the Polish director choose to portray fraternity, and honestly, it's the best he could have picked. He sees fraternity aka brotherhood as a connection between people in spite of their age, gender and other minor, pointless differences.

"Red" can claim brilliant, fascinating characters as well. They are not very believable and they are very much idealised, but the way Kieslowski presents to us them and their complicated interactions with everything surrounding them, from people to fate, is what makes them interesting. And certainly doesn't hurt having a cast that is able to capture and deliver the complexity of their characters.

Just like the previous two films, this one too is a visual feast. However, this time around the colour is much more predominant. It indeed plays a very significant role as it is used to draw attention to significant elements. The photography is also very beautiful.

Three Colors: White (1994)

Original Title

Trois couleurs: Blanc

Genres

Comedy, Drama

Director

Krzysztof Kieślowski

Countries

France, Poland, Switzerland

Cast

Zbigniew Zamachowski, Julie Delpy, Janusz Gajos, Jerzy Stuhr, Aleksander Bardini, Grzegrz Warchol, Cezary Harasimowicz, Jerzy Nowak, Jerzy Trela, Teresa Budzisz-Krzyzanowska

Storyline

After his French wife (Julie Delpy) divorces him, Polish immigrant Karol (Zbigniew Zamachowski) goes back to Poland and plots to get even with her.

Opinion

I wasn't crazy about "Blue". It was a good film, but I didn't love it. I'm not the kind of person who gives up though - and I've been also told that the trilogy got better with which instalment - so I decided to keep watching. And it sure did get better. "White" is indeed a superb, deep yet entertaining film.

After using the blue of the French flag to make a movie about freedom, this time around Kieslowski chose white to talk about equality and he did it with a fantastic, engaging and, yes, very unlikely story of revenge that will keep you glued to the screen thanks to its unexpected twists.

I know it sounds kind of weird, dealing with equality with a tale of revenge, but it actually works. And the Polish director successfully manages to show the struggle for equality and how the second word of the French motto is important in society; he also shows that no matter how hard one tries, equality will never be attained. But after all, that's not even what people really want. 

Although it's very different from "Blue", "White"'s visuals are equally stunning. The colours seem warmer, which works really well with the film's plot; the photography, lighting and editing all are top-notch.

And just like its predecessor, the acting is marvellous. I knew already how good Julie Delpy is so she was no surprise to me, but Zbigniew Zamachowski blew me away. His performance as Karol, the possessive husband seeking revenge, is superb. He owns the character and he's able to make you feel for him. Finally, Janusz Gajos proves a good support. 

Three Colors: Blue (1993)

Original Title

Trois couleurs: Bleu

Genre

Drama

Director

Krzysztof Kieślowski

Countries

France | Poland | Switzerland

Cast

Juliette Binoche, Benoit Régent, Emmanuelle Riva, Florence Pernel, Guillaume de Tonquédec, Charlotte Véry, Yann Trégouet, Hélène Vincent, Philippe Volter, Zbigniew Zamachowski, Julie Delpy

Storyline

After the death of her husband and daughter in a car accident, Julie (Juliette Binoche) attempts to start a new life, free of personal commitments, belongings, grief and love.

Opinion

I am not familiar with Kieslowski's work, at all, but I still decided to give his Three Colours trilogy a try because of all the good things I've read about it. As you can guess, "Three Colours: Blue" is the first film of the trilogy. And the first disappointment I had. The film isn't necessarily bad, but it isn't that great either. It is just a slightly above average drama.

This film doesn't have an actual plot, but that's not even the real problem. The problem is that it revolves around an affair that moves so slowly it ends up being tedious, unbearable even if you don't have a lot of patience.

However, Kieslowski kind of redeems himself with the film's theme, liberty. It is not a physical liberty, like being able to do whatever you want, or the political and social liberty as meant in the French flag, but an emotional liberty, the liberty for the main character, a woman who has lost everything/everyone she cared about, to get free, to let go of her memories and emotions. To be psychologically free.

Another point in favour of the film is the striking cinematography. Slawomir Idziak truly did a tremendous job. His use of colour and light is spot on, and they are beautifully used to keep things in and out of focus. And the shots of Juliette Binoche are beyond stunning.

And then there is Juliette Binoche who proves to be the right choice for the lead as she gives a quite strong and expressive performance.