| Krzysztof Kieslowski’s Red is an unforgettable cinematic experience, and one worth having even if you haven’t seen the first two films of the trilogy, Blue and White. Irene Jacob is as lovely as human beings get, and the story is irrelevant in many ways, as I’m content just to watch her glide across the screen. Having first seen this masterpiece in the theater, it is clear that one needs to be literally surrounded by the color and the music in order to “feel” everything Kieslowski intended. But the DVD is the next best thing. The movie itself? A delightful, somber meditation on the random, accidental nature of life, and the loneliness that, ironically, binds us together. Jacob is Valentine, a young model who meets up with a crusty, cynical judge (Jean-Louis Trintignant), who is tapping in to other people’s telephone conversations. A lesser director might have pushed this angle into the thriller genre, where the “pervert” takes the young girl hostage and exacts his bitter revenge. Instead, the film is about incident and character, not plot, and we see quite clearly that luck, not “the heavens,” often determines our course in life. Some of these occurrences can be painful and tragic, but just as often, they serve to illuminate our precarious, yet joyful place in the world. As this is the sort of film that invites discussion, recommend this DVD to your closest friends. However, if you have a familiarity with, and love for, Kieslowski, it is just as likely that you lack friends in any significant number. In that case, drop me a line.
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Kieslowski has such an eye for detail that one viewing of Red does not give it justice. The parallel between the judge and Auguste, the fact that Auguste and Valentine seem to always miss each other, the use of red and so much more. Is it that all these occurences are by chance or is chance just the mask of destiny Mr. Cale?
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars