Blue
by french_film_grl
"Blue" is the first of three films in the "Colors Trilogy" directed by Krzysztof Kieslowski.
This is a 1993 French film set in Paris, and stars Juliette Binoche as Julie de Courcy.
"Blue" is a very intense film dealing with deep human emotion. The title is very à propos.
The story begins with an automobile accident that devastates the 33-year-old Julie's life. Although she is only injured, the crash proves fatal for her husband and daughter. In the blink of an eye her world, as she knows it, has come to a precipitous end.
Although Julie makes a full physical recovery, her mental state is fragile as she grapples with an emotional recovery. She tries to deal with her immense grief and find some sense of closure so she can begin life anew.
Julie's husband was a famous composer, and was working on a commissioned concerto at the time of his death. The piece is left unfinished, and his music haunts her. Julie also learns her late husband has had a lover for years. She finds herself now entangled in a passionate mix of love/hate emotions.
As if that were not enough, Julie's husband's assistant, Olivier, has been in love with her for a long time. So she is soon faced with deciding whether she is ready to risk emotional intimacy, and move on with Olivier in her life.
This is a powerful film that evokes thought and emotion in the viewer. It is definitely a must see film. The official FFG rating for this movie is a 10.
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This is one of my favorite
This is one of my favorite films, but also one that's hard to measure by its plot. It's an extremely visual film--always Kieslowski's strong point. A lot of the story is told by the images, colors and sets, almost moreso than through dialogue. Some of the most dramatic and memorable scenes involve no words at all.
The color titles in the series allude to the symbolism of the colors in the French flag (blue represents liberty, for instance, and liberty is demonstrated by Julie's attempt to start a new life free of a painful past.)
"White" is the story of a Polish immigrant in France whose divorcement with his French wife leaves him broke and desperate. He manages to return to Poland and rebuilds his life again solely for the purpose of... well... you'll have to see the film to know.
"Red" finds a young model meeting a retired judge over fateful circumstances and a relationship of conflict and friendship comes about. I've heard a lot of people say they liked this film less. I think this movie is a little more metaphorical. In a nutshell, it's a look at how people (don't) communicate and the ways we look for companionship. Red symbolizes fraternity.
All are must see films if you're a visual movie-watcher (or someone who just enjoys paintings and/or photography.) I'd also recommend "the Double Life of Veronique" by Kieslowski and his Decalogue series, which are 10 short films based around the 10 Commandments and originally based for Polish television.