Three Colours: Blue (1993)

The first part of Kieslowski's Colours Trilogy (made up of Blue, White, Red) is a film-lover's film. It's the story of a woman existing in a post-tragedy silence. The emphasis on minutia isn't just an incidental side effect of the film-maker's style, it's an integral part of the mechanics of storytelling. It gives the reflective aspects time to flourish and lets the bigger picture spread itself more evenly over the canvas.
Blue is also an excellent example of how crucial well-constructed music is to a film narrative. The two things work in tandem beautifully, culminating in an ending that's one of the most perfect that I've ever experienced.

5 counterpoints out of 5

Three Colours: White (1994)

The second part of Kieslowski's Colours Trilogy (made up of Blue, White, Red) is less moody than the preceding one, but that doesn't mean it’s light-hearted. It's the story of a Polish immigrant named Karol Karol (Zbigniew Zamachowski) who goes to great lengths to fulfil a desire. To say any more than that would be a mistake on my part.
The film is literally bursting with symbolism, so much so that it's impossible to take it all in during just one viewing. Your reactions and allusions to that part of it will make viewing a personal experience, meaning the message has the potential to be different for each person. The ending will leave you with the best kind of questions.

4 emblematic circles out of 5

Three Colours: Red (1994)

The third part of Kieslowski's Colours Trilogy (made up of Blue, White, Red) is the one that I find the most difficult to understand. The breadth of the story is too immense for my tiny brain to comprehend.
Red is danger. Red is passion. Every fool knows those two things are bedfellows. The film takes that kind of fundamental relationship and expands it into an inter-connected world view.
There's a complex synchronicity at play involving chance encounters between individuals and a fleet of ships passing in the night.
You'll find yourself questioning something that seems impossible, but for me that's part of its enigmatic appeal.

4½ connecting lines out of 5