Criterion Collection: Double Life of Veronique [Blu-ray] [Import]

The Double Life of Veronique (1991)
Drama, Fantasy, Music, 98 minutes, French and Polish Language
Directed by Krzysztof Kieslowski
Starring Irene Jacob and Philippe Volter

The Double Life of Veronique sparks all kinds of thoughts, makes me cry, and leaves me feeling like I entered another world.

The film is probably the most beautiful I have ever seen. The color palette is rich and places an emphasis on reds, greens and yellows. There are many instances of images viewed through things which distort reality: a clear plastic ball, mirrors, windows, reflections in glass and also a magnifying glass.

Music is a huge part of the experience, whether it's happening in the story or part of the soundtrack.

The first 30 minutes of the story concerns Weronika. She is Polish and a gifted singer. Weronika is so in tune with life that it's painful. When she sings, there is pure joy visible on her face. She ignores outside distractions such as pouring rain because she's so caught up in the moment. She makes love the same way.

***Spoiler Alert***

Unfortunately, Weronika has a heart problem and drops dead while performing at a recital.

The film switches locations and we find ourselves in France with Veronique. She appears identical to Weronika and both women are played by Irene Jacob. Veronique seems to sense Weronika's death, although she can't pinpoint why she is feeling a sense of loss.

This is a film about connections and feelings. Are we alone in the world or are there people somewhere just like us? Do we share any kind of connection? Is any of this controlled by some higher power, or are events simply random? The "coincidences" in this film are too frequent for everything to be random, aren't they? Room 287, a plastic ball, a ring, a shoestring, loving fathers and absent mothers, and probably a few things that I completely missed.

Kieslowski doesn't tell us what any of this means. We don't know whether the two women are related or twins separated at birth. It doesn't really matter why any of this happens. The film is intended to make us think and feel, and it succeeds very well.

I often wonder whether Jean-Pierre Jeunet was thinking of Veronique when he created Amelie. Although one is completely serious and one is a comedy, both contain elaborate scenes in which one character encourages another to seek them out. France features in both films and the color palette's are similar.

I can't make a sweeping recommendation. This is the kind of film for people who like to contemplate the meaning of life and their own existence. The narrative meanders along and there are no clear answers or startling resolutions to the story. It just is.

There are several things that previous reviewers here have written that are on target as far as the "artsy" nature of the film the nature of the interaction between director and actress, the actress herself, and so on. I can't add anything to that. What I can say is that it was this type of commentary that induced us to purchase and watch the film and, while it was interesting, at the end I felt that the alleged messages of the film could have been conveyed more effectively and efficiently and I could have spent my time better reading a book.

My husband is a Polish scientist and we live in France, so we have a certain perspective that embraces both worlds. He wanted to watch this one out of a sense of national solidarity, but his solidarity began to crack about 20 minutes into the film. Like me, he could think of many other things he would rather be doing than watching a Polish director "make love" vicariously to a French actress with a camera.

In short, if you like arty movies that focus on a single character with amorphous plot and dialog designed to produce a sensation of mild confusion, go for it; you won't be disappointed.

Some movies inexplicably stick to your mind and make you return to them over and over again. Just like "Unbearable lightness of being" this movie posses that quality. Nothing much happens in it. But little that does touches you in a very personal and emotional way. Beautiful, quiet masterpiece of a brilliant director. Definate must see for anyone who likes European cinema.
Red, White and Blue are also wonderful movies by the same director.