Note: My apologies for getting this out late. I accidentally conked out and then had to take care of some things before I could come back and finish this. It’s not quite as good as it could have been, but hopefully it still works okay in the end.
Time for our second Kieslowski movie. This one has a sort of metaphysical angle to it, I guess you could say. It’s not a sci-fi film or anything, it’s just one that seems to be talking about ideas like “soul connections” and having a “double” out in the world, one you might never meet. However, much of the film’s ideas and experiences aren’t exactly said, but more so felt, and that definitely creates something that you’ll remember after watching. I’m slipping too much into review territory in the intro here, so let’s lay down the story before I get carried away.
We start off the film following a Polish woman named Weronika, an aspiring choir singer, who has to go to Krakow to help her grandmother. Recently, she’s been getting this feeling like she’s “not alone in the world,” but she can’t explain exactly what that feeling means. She manages to join a choir group in Krakow, so things are looking up for her career-wise. However, an odd occurrence happens one day while she’s out in the town square: she sees a woman on a French tour bus who looks exactly like her. She never determines the nature of this event, as not long after, she has a heart attack during a performance and dies. Elsewhere, in France, a woman named Veronique has just gotten back from sight-seeing in Poland and is spending some quality time with her boyfriend, but for some reason, she feels depressed. She’s depressed enough that she tells her teacher that she’s quitting choir and focusing mainly on her music teaching gig. While with her class, she watches a marionette performance and seems to make eye contact with the puppeteer. Later, she has her class perform a musical composition that sounds remarkably similar to one that a certain Polish girl was singing before her death. She meets up with the puppeteer again at a stoplight, who warns her not to smoke the wrong end of her cigarette. She starts becoming interested in this puppeteer, and she tells her father that she’s basically in love with this guy even though she barely knows him, but also that she was depressed because she felt like she had lost someone very dear to her. Why does Veronique feel like she’s lost someone? Does she ever meet the puppeteer again? Well, at least one of these questions will be elucidated in my review.
So, like I was saying before, this film definitely seems to be playing off the idea of an unknown soul connection that spans between people that don’t know each other, as well as the idea that everyone has a “double” out there in the world somewhere. Weronika feeling that she’s not alone but can’t explain why, and Veronique feeling like she lost someone even though she can’t place who on the exact same day Weronika died are both meant to illustrate this bond. The film goes a bit further than that too, suggesting that Veronique gave up her choir position because Weronika died while performing in one. Later in the film, the puppeteer talks about making back-up marionettes in case one breaks. I won’t reveal the full context of that moment, but I think you can figure out how it ties in to the overall idea. Actually, that concept that he brings up kind of gives another perspective to the whole film. It’s clearly working from a very metaphysical sort of realm, the spiritual connections of humanity and that sort of thing, but his notion almost suggests that the world or a creator or the lifeforces or something actually might create backup people or something to that effect. Plus, it brings up the idea that humans might be nothing more than puppets for some outside force, dictating the way our lives turn out or at least pushing us in certain directions. Now, this film isn’t sci-fi or religious, it never really goes into what caused there to be two remarkably similar people in different parts of the world. It doesn’t even portray the idea of there being “back-up people” as bad, necessarily. It’s really just a spiritual experience for the two women, and maybe for the viewer as well. The film certainly tries to emulate that idea, with a slower pacing, soft/ambient music, odd yet intimate shots, and interesting color choices. Many of the scenes are tinted with certain colors, namely green, red, and a golden yellow. It’s not quite stark enough to come off like “80’s neon” or anything, it’s just a light yet still noticeable filter. I won’t claim to know exactly what each color denotes, though I noticed that the golden hue is often projected on the characters’ faces while the green and red are often used more for overall locations. It’s definitely something that one could think about for a while, though, I just haven’t pinpointed my interpretations yet. Overall, though, I think the strength of this film comes through in how you feel while watching it. It’s not really out to make grand explanations or anything, it’s just one you have to soak into and experience first-hand. I’ll admit, I’m not sure I have too much profound to say about this film, other than maybe what I said already. I just think this was a fine little film, not one of my big favorites, but one that was good for what it was. I do think this is another case where you might have to be in the right mood for it, though. I was half-tired when I watched this, so I’m not sure if the whole experience came through as well as it should have. It’s not Tarkovsky slow or anything, but it’s another one that’s better experienced when you can be attentive to it.
Anyway, I’ll admit that this isn’t a super in-depth review this time, but I do think it’s just one of those films that you should really see for yourself. I do recommend it, though, it’s a good film, and I do still want to cover more Kieslowski in the future. I actually have the entire Three Colors trilogy already, so that might be something we’ll see down the line at some point. As for next week, I have no ideas yet, but look forward to it. Until next time, my fellow obscurne….mites? Anyway, have a good week, folks.