Juliette Binoche, Kieslowski's egeria

Rating: 10/10 (18 February 2006)

It's been years that I have seen Bleu and my writing about it today is to show the lingering effect it had onto me. The movie is simply a masterpiece. (10/10) Why? First, the plot or the process of going through pain and grieving but also the human resilience of surviving the lost of cherished ones, an infant daughter evidently more so in the movie than a husband. Second, the cast: Binoche, Binoche and Binoche. She's centerpiece and rightly so. She's a mountain of emotion and strength that permeates the screen. Third, the music that Preisner wrote prompted me to buy the soundtrack. For anyone who has it, they can share with great emotion when one hears Juliette say: Vous me montrez ce que vous avez composé? (You want to show me what you have composed?). Her voice seems only a murmur, but at the same time commanding as of one who knows what to expect; and the movie as it unfolds tells us that it is not much. Olivier wanted to finish her husband's work which she reluctantly agrees to but the resulting effort is really unimpressive. She corrects the work by taking away instruments. Why Olivier put them in in the first place was gauche. She repelled him throughout the film because he was too insisting as if he wanted something from her; the same thing her dead husband got ? The storyline is very subtle.
This is not meant to be a spoiler but a persisting feeling throughout the film is that Julie is really the composer of the symphony. This is what the journalist implies in her reportage. But she would rather not be known as such and she hided behind her ex-husband. Now, Olivier that knew this, wants to take his place and she turns him away until she gives in. Enough about the plot but isn't that the expression of utter freedom? Julie is really the composer of the new unified Europe anthem but she doesn't want to take the credit for it because it would take to much of her liberty away. She wouldn't be free any longer. Such altruism may be love, but even more so, an act done out of a will not to have any strings attached. Beautiful.
The altruism pervades throughout. Julie gives, gives and gives. But she has received so much: her towering musical talents, beauty, sensitivity, wealth, so on and so forth. Kieslowski implies here that real freedom in life is achieved when you give back in return for what you have received. And Julie makes the ultimate gift; she gives away her personality, her fame to the men in her life as they become world renown instead of her. I know this may not be obvious to many but you will agree that this bring to the film a whole new layer of mystery plus loads of everything else. A MUST SEE. RUN