MUBI

In the early 1990’s after the collapse of communism in Poland, filmmaker, Krzysztof Kieslowski (1941 – 1996) would again collaborate with lawyer, politician, and good friend Krzysztof Marek Piesiewicz to write the screenplay for a film trilogy. Together they had worked to produce films about human struggle and moral issues that people face, such as basing a ten part film series on The Ten Commandments. The Three Colors Trilogy (1993 – 1994) would follow social values and emotional lifestyles that are based strongly on the colors of the French Flag (Blue, White, and Red). Of course, all three films do not focus on the simplicity of political nature, which the flags are based on, but rather they turn our attention toward the symbolism of what each color represents. That concept blends with the complexities of real people, challenged with real ethical and social problems.

All three are connected, taking place in modern-day Europe, yet strikingly different in atmosphere and motif. In fact, Kieslowski teams with a different cinematographer for each film with three of the stories taking place in three separate countries (France, Poland, and Switzerland). This is so that the visual style of all three films is not the same. His first installment of trilogy, Blue becomes a metaphor for liberty, or in this type of genre, emotional liberty. The whole look of the film is characterized and shot meticulously in tints and tones of the color, blue. The color literally captures the heart-aching emotion of the setting; cold should be the wise term to use.
The story revolves around a woman, played by Juliette Binoche, who tries desperately to free herself from the memories of her husband, an accomplished composer, and her five-year-old daughter. Both are killed in a car accident. After the traumatic event she goes through a psychological struggle as the sound of her dead husband’s unfinished composition begins to haunt her. Binoche very intentionally and enthrallingly captures a woman trying not to commit to the world. The film even explores the dark side of femininity. It is possibly one of the most beautiful, if not captivating performances I’ve seen by any actress. She is able to perform with intimacy instead of expressing emotions.

A signature moment occurs when Binoche’s character is swimming in a pool with the highlighted color of blue. This is a way to washout her memories and to be isolated from the world. This motif could also be interpreted, which Binoche describes it in an interview as reverting back into a fetal state within a womb. Kieslowski plays with the psychology of the woman in the edit as well. An example occurs in the fade ins and outs followed by the unfinished work of music almost preparing the viewer for what Binoche is about to say. By the end of the film, she is forced by her personal conflicts to finish her husband’s music and tries to cope with the world. The music provided by composer, Zbigniew Presiner is absolutely astounding. He conveys what the human soul is and even personifies what human psychology is in a given situation. It is a beautifully crafted work of film that becomes true art.

Krzysztof Kieślowski is a director I’m admittedly not as familiar with as I would like to be. Having seen “The Double Life of Veronique” I immediately was hooked on his visual style, and almost operatic storytelling. Using melodic music to enhance the very dreamlike camera movements, Kieślowski evokes strong emotions while at the same time giving the audience an almost surreal viewing experience. Emotions are portrayed by facial expressions, and musically enhanced themes that challenge the viewer to look into their beliefs and come to terms with what’s playing out on screen. I saw all of this in that one film, and it was such a savory experience that I was immediately invested in this autuer’s career. All of this in mind, there was a clear answer when I was asked what I wanted for christmas this year, and that was Kieślowski’s Three Colors trilogy. Santa came through, and on December 26th I spent a day with Kieślowski. I’m going to briefly review the themes and films in the following…

Blue opens with a family on a journey. Accompanied by haunting music, you can sense that it’s not going to have a happy ending. There’s no manipulative voice over that would simply ruin this haunting opening. It uses the art of cinema to allow the audience to connect the dots themselves. This method continues throughout the entire film. Every scene gives insight to this main character of Julie without ever spelling it out in completely graspable terms. We the viewer are challenged to look back into our heartbreak in order to understand her struggles, her thoughts, and her thought processes. Throughout the rest of the film, we follow Julie on a journey of her own to deal with the loss of her husband and daughter. At it’s heart it is a personal journey through grief that also causes us to reflect on our own past. There are so many beautiful visual motifs that are used to express the despair that the main character is feeling. They may not always click in the audience’s brain, but they cling in the back of their memory growing in their meaning and relevance. It encompasses such a depressing story in such a warm and sympathetic way that I couldn’t help but be encouraged and even inspired to root for this character, and seek that preverbal light at the end of the tunnel for her. A beautifully crafted film that seeks to empathize with grief and give the needed push forward into healing.

This trilogy is meant to act as a thematic symbol for the French flag. Blue here represents liberty, or freedom, and I think what Kieślowski is getting at here is that in order to be truly free, you must forgive and love the past for what it is; otherwise you will forever be held hostage by it. The main character believes she is finding freedom by trying to destroy the past, but in reality she is becoming more and more enslaved by it. This could be a parable for any struggle, but it is shown in its most vivid form here, with the loss of a loved one.

White is the most easily accessible film from this Polish filmmaker. On its surface it’s a tale of revenge, and also marriage healing. There is much below the surface, just like every Kieślowski film, but I felt that it was set up in too much of a straight forward narrative in order to tell the story. There wasn’t enough artistic flare like in his prior films for me to connect to him as the director. He felt distant from this story instead of a guide for the audience. It has been labeled as a comedy, but I didn’t see that. It’s a very serious film with flares of comedy here and there. It wasn’t as rewarding as the more ambiguous stories in his filmography. It still maintained intrigue the whole way because of the actors’ charismatic performance. The main theme running throughout the film is that money can buy anything, even revenge. On the flip side of that, that greed will create animosity between those around you. The place where the film falls apart for me, was in the central relationship. I never believed they were a real couple, and I never understood why there was so much vengeful feelings between them. It had many great scenes, some great visual motifs, and glances into Kieślowski’s artists’ eye. These characters just didn’t jump into reality for me, which distanced me from the emotional payoff.

White represents equality, and that theme comes up again and again between the interactions of the characters. In a tale of revenge, it’s obvious that you are going to have situations where one character wants to make another character feel as badly as they themselves feel. I’m not going to spoil anything, but that concept appears in more than simply character interactions, and it is also juxtaposed by characters who give of themselves more than they get. These themes are more subtle, and are at times lost in the narrative shuffle, but they are still rewarding when you recognize them.

Red is probably the most ambiguous of the three colors trilogy. There is no real way to summarize the film’s plot, and yet it hits home in a blunt and conflicting way. There is truth affecting the audience as the plot plays out. It’s almost a culmination of Kieślowski up until this point in my watching of his filmography. It brings up the major themes of trust in the technology age, sacrificing comfort for morals, and even maintaining trust in humanity instead of pointing the flaws out in people. These are themes which create a pleasant environment to live in, and in that respect this is Kieślowski’s most political film in the three colors trilogy. It ties all of the stories from the previous films together by showing us that with these morals tightly grasped, that we can create a society that is pleasant to live in. It’s a personification of Kieślowski’s love for France and also a call to confront people on their own hypocrisy. It’s plot is concise and thoroughly fleshed out in a way that wraps the entire trilogy into a delicious mixture of grief, comedy, and friendship.

The concept of fraternity is here represented most extensively by Valentine and the aging judge. Through their friendship, the film expresses all of the above mentioned themes, and the evolution of the characters is a joy to watch. The entire film is made up of beautifully crafted scenes that tell the audience more in its’ camera movements then a line of dialogue ever could. It’s the display of a master at work.

I was deeply moved by this trilogy. It’s vibrant colors, piercing themes, and personal characters will remain with me. It’s a glorious example of the art form cinema can become.

“We’re always looking at love through the eyes of the person who is suffering because of love.” – Krzysztof Kieslowski

The Trois Couleurs trilogy directed by the legendary Krzysztof Kieslowski and written with friend Krzysztof Piesiewicz, is based upon the French flag colours of blue, white and red. This tripartite motto accentuates the idea of liberty, equality and fraternity. In this Polish-French film, we follow intimately a young woman who shows us through her sorrows until she become freed by embracing not only her talents but love. This production focuses on the concept of freedom.

The first and best of these three films, Trois Couleurs: Bleu, is the story of Julie Vignon (Juliette Binoche) who, after losing her family in a car accident, attempts to forget her past by moving to a picturesque area of Paris in a state of introspection. But Julie eventually gives in to the company of others to realise she cannot streamline the remaining years of her life.

“I don’t want any belongings, any memories. No friends, no love. These are all traps.”

The director, simply by naming the film after a colour, already creates tension because as viewers we are looking for blue shades, blue items wherever the camera moves. We want to see blue to confirm the title for ourselves, but yes, each film has a strong element of colour and style in that essence. Blue is liberty, whether that means Julie is fragile and free to feel pain or whether it means for you that she becomes reborn spiritually instead of actually ending her life.

This is a story about life, not just a widow recovering from loss. It is acclaimed for the performances and its beauty of realism. It shows us all how are lives are intricately interconnected, an idea so riveting but rarely scripted. Life is about how we cope with our problems, we can self-destruct or we can try our best to hold ourselves together. We have moments in which we experience something that we later see in a different place and it could be seen as coincidence or something more meaningful. We may have effects on somebody we’ve never met, simply by walking past them (but obviously not noticing their presence) everyday on our way from A to B.

The score of the film is excellently heavy when the scene needs it to be, it is tender when needed. We see occasionally the screen fade to black for us to just experience the moment. We see the small things, small items, Julie wants to focus on the little things she has in her environment so she doesn’t have to focus on everything wrong.

The film is not funereal but moving; Blue is primarily a showcase for talent. To some, the character of Julie may be indifferent; they may find it hard to relate to the character. I can see the grief on her face. Julie is a tortured soul that is carefully controlled; the camera lovingly places her in its view, transcending the screen powerfully. This is a method used wonderfully in silent cinema; directors put their trust in the luminance of actors to convey the mood to the audience. An early example of this should be seen in D.W. Griffith’s Broken Blossoms with Lillian Gish. We are in a situation of introversion because of the leading lady and the admirable strength shown. Juliette Binoche is absolutely beautiful, her, the camera and of course Kieslowski are honestly the soul of the film.

How many of us have ever thought of escaping for some time, even five minutes, or five years, to heal ourselves from the memories that haunt our lives?

Blue is not at all a pretentious art film, it means more than that in our society. Blue is a testament to our humanity, illustrating our cinema is no longer a young art form in comparison to literature; so much can still be achieved. The fact that the writer and director had thought of the possibility of creating another trilogy based on Hell, Purgatory and Heaven is very exciting. Unfortunately, Kieslowski retired to ‘smoke and read’ and passed away two years after making this film. This trilogy was his last work.

Like re-reading your favourite book, Bleu gets better with every re-watch. More intricate details are revealed to us the second time, the third time we view the film love is felt even more.

“You can’t give up everything.”

Although it may not appeal to all audiences that would prefer a less demanding film, Blue is a masterpiece of mood you would regret skipping, a life-changing introduction to an exhilarating trilogy.

I was wandering through the racks at my local retail outlet a couple of days ago and came upon Kieslowski’s three colours trilogy on dvd at the low low price of $9.99. Having heard wonderful things about these three films, I decided this was a blind buy I could definitely justify, and added it to the small pile I was gathering. Tonight I decided to begin watching, and was trying to figure out where to begin. I eventually decided to simply view them in the order they were laid out in the case. It wasn’t especially difficult as I have a certain affection for Juliette Binoche anyway, and I was amply rewarded for my decision. This is a film to be treasured and her performance is sublime. As Julie, a woman who has lost both a husband and a daughter, she is the center of everything here, and expresses so much with so few words that I was left a little numb by the end. I noticed two moments in particular where she responds to another character’s question wordlessly, with just a movement of her head. Once is yes and once is no, and the depth of feeling expressed in these small physical gestures told me more than a thousand words ever could. She speaks sparingly throughout, and I think would prefer not to speak at all, so her eyes and body must do most of the talking, and the fact that she does so in a wholly real and convincing way is simply amazing. The film is sad, yes, and offers no solutions or tidy answers, but life is like that, and despite the fact that she wishes not to care anymore, she cannot help but be who she is. Kieslowski has created a visually brilliant film, an almost perfectly realized solitary world, and asked this character and this actress to inhabit it and make it live and breathe without a trace of self pity or maudlin dependence. With the performance of Juliette Binoche and the steady, trusting hand of this director, they have accomplished that rare thing, a film which does not for one minute cheat or manipulate it’s audience, but trusts it to find it’s own way. I will watch Blue again, and more than likely again after that, with people I like so we can talk about it, and I very much look forward to the other two titles in this trilogy.