My most perfect movie

Rating: 10/10 (23 November 2001)

Contains spoilers, please do not read unless you've seen this movie.
I have debated in the past whether this movie or Vertigo is greater, as both of them are profound studies of the human experiences of obsession, loss and pain, and can be watched again and again, always revealing new things. Citizen Kane is considered to be the greatest movie ever made but I would say that both Blue and Vertigo are as great in their masterful use of all the techniques of movie making, and their timeless stories of love and loss. Unlike the other two, Blue does not end with despair but with redemption and hope; therefore it is more satisfying.
Blue, unlike the necessarily complicated story-telling of the other two movies, is simple and straightforward, and the heaviness is in its assault on the senses and emotions, using the cinematography plus the musical score which gradually unfolds. Like a siren coming clearer as it draws nearer the despair gives way to acceptance and a new life for the one who mourns, using the materials at hand in her life. It is matter of fact to this woman that there is no other way than to withdraw from life and then to be forced, by one's own nature, to participate again.
I first rented Blue in 1994 and watched it at my friend's house. Then I rented it again several times over the years, and the last time in particular about two years ago, I was powerfully moved, even though I had no loss in my life at the time.
Today I watched it again because my friend has died and I hoped it would help me through this time. As always I was moved by the story itself but in a new way because I remembered the tears I wept the last time I saw it, and the powerful way it affected me the first time I saw it at my friend's house when everything was all right and it was only a movie, and I didn't know that one day I would be weeping for him as I watched it. I can only say it is a good movie to see to prepare yourself for the inevitable loss of loved ones, and also cathartic to watch when that loss has happened to you.
One thing that surprised me was that this copy did not translate into subtitles the Greek chorus, which is the love chapter of Corinthians. Every other time I saw it the words were printed which added to the emotional impact of the final scenes. For those who don't know Greek, that is as vital as giving subtitles for the French. Only because I saw it before did I know what they were singing which is the whole message of the film. The emotional impact of that end is unparalleled in cinema.
I cannot say that about Red and White, although they are brilliant too, of course. Blue simply outshines them in every way, though they should be watched as part of the trilogy for they also have important messages and are beautifully made.