freedom at 450-495 nanometers

Rating: 10/10 (10 July 2015)

"Trois couleurs: Bleu" ("Blue" in English) was the first entry in Krzysztof Kieślowski's Three Colors trilogy. Named after the colors on France's flag, the trilogy focuses on stories involving France's national motto: Liberty, Equality, Fraternity. Kieślowski said that "Blue" looks at emotional, rather than political, freedom, as Juliette Binoche's widow Julie is no longer bound by family life but can't fully escape her past. This continuing connection is embodied in the lamp of blue beads, and in the footage of bungee jumping (in which the cords become more apparent as the movie progresses, symbolizing evidence of a link to the past). Most importantly, there is the music: much like how music consists not of a single note but of harmony with other notes, Julie cannot stay isolated from the rest of the world. Thus it's an anti-tragedy: Julie's attempt to erase her past call into question whether love and freedom can coexist.
This is the first Kieślowski movie that I've seen, and I'm really impressed. His use of scenery and colors to tell the story mirrors Stanley Kubrick's style of filmmaking. Juliette Binoche won both a Golden Globe and a César for her performance, as well as an award at the Venice Film Festival (all well deserved). As for the director, I hope to see the other entries in Kieślowski's Three Colors trilogy, as well as his other works. It's too bad that he retired after finishing the trilogy and then died of a heart attack.