Trois couleurs Rouge (1994)
Directed by Krzysztof Kieslowski

Film Review

The final instalment in Krzysztof Kieslowski's "Three Colours" trilogy marks not just the end of this remarkable series of films but also the end of the Polish director's impressive film-making career.  Shortly after making this film, 53-year old Kieslowski announced his decision to give up directing films, making this film far more significant than it would otherwise have been.

None of this alters the fact that Trois couleurs: Rouge is a magnificent film in its own right, some would argue an unqualified masterpiece.  It is many ways the best of the "Three Colour" films, less emotionally charged than "Bleu", more conventional than "Blanc", but a thoroughly compelling work of cinema.  It is not just one of Kieslowski's finest accomplishments, it is also arguably his most satisfying film.

From the astonishing opening pictures which chase a telephone conversation through a complex  telecommunications channel, the audience is hooked.  This is indeed a film about communication, in a world where people find it hard to talk to one another. A retired judge has no company and has to resort to eavesdropping his neighbour's telephone conversations.  A young fashion model is separated from her boyfriend and her family, and her telephone calls with them are always fraught and unsatisfying.   The same model lives next door to a young man who is living out exactly the same life the judge she has befriended did 30 years earlier.  Separate lives united, not by dialogue, but by the caprice of chance.

These ideas form the basis for a mesmerising romantic tale in which the driving force is, apparently, the need to be together, to share experiences.  This recurring theme of fraternity crystallises magnificently in the film's memorable last few minutes.  This daring denouement does not just unite the various plot strands in this film, but it also brings in the main characters from the preceding two films in the "Three Colours" trilogy.  Although a little contrived, the result is a satisfying experience.

Trois couleurs: Rouge also appears to have the character of a chilling ghost story.  Echoes of the past abound, past lives being relived in the parallel strand of the young lawyer who is cheated by his girlfriend.  The sober photography, with its rich red and brown tones, has an almost gothic horror feel to it, with Valentine appearing to be the naïve vulnerable heroine drawn inescapably into a dangerous world.  This extra dimension, of an impending threat (which does indeed materialise, but not in the way anyone would expect) is probably what makes the film so compelling.  The film is not intentionally a suspense thriller, but it sometimes feels that it ought to be.

In addition to the creative genius of Kieslowski and his talented photography director Piotr Sobocinski, the film benefits greatly from the remarkable performances of its two stars, Jean-Louis Trintignant and Irène Jacob.  Trintignant, a stalwart of French cinema, best known for his appearance in Claude Lelouch's 1966 film Un homme et une femme, achieves a moving combination of menace and pathos in his role as the retired judge. Irène Jacob, previously known for her leading role in Kieslowski's earlier film La Double vie de Véronique, is engaging and tender, the perfect foil to her co-star's apparent coldness.  The interaction between the two lead actors just feels perfectly spot on, lending no end of poignancy to this haunting spiritual love story.

Film Synopsis

Valentine is an attractive young fashion model living in Geneva.  Whilst driving home one evening, she accidentally runs over a dog.  From the dog's collar tag, Valentine finds the address of its owner, a retired judge who, she discovers, taps the telephone conversations of his neighbours.  Although initially shocked by the judge's cynical attitude to life, Valentine gradually begins to develop an affection for the reclusive old man...