Three Colors: Red

Director: Krzysztof Kieslowski

1994

11 January 2025

See

Valentine (Irene Jacob) hits a dog while driving in Paris. Returning it to the owner Le juge (Jean-Louis Trintignant) seemingly a shut in, disinterested in the dog, and a disaffected old man who eavesdrops on the radio frequency of his neighbours phone calls, listening in on their personal lives and judging them.

Think

The two form a bond. Much like director Kieslowski must have with Jacob, this is the second time they’ve worked together after The Double Lives of Veronique (1991). Usually he would only work repeatedly with other Poles, in minor recurring roles. But in this film you see the convergence of characters in the Tricolor Trilogy of Blue, White, Red. Although I watched them out of order, I”m not sure it matters, as they’re capable of standing alone and feels more like a triptych. Thematically linked rather than narratively. 

Feel

I’m mindful of spoilers of this 32 year old film. Ot may be enough to say there are other characters, such as Auguste, and his wife, a young man studying for an exam, who discovers her infidelity and it breaks something in him, more so than, or as fundamental as his heart. It shows what it takes to turn a good man bad. Or bitter. There’s also Michel, Valentine’s jealous boyfriend who frequently calls to check in on her but offers nothing more. It took a while to realise they weren’t one and the same. But Kieslowski doesn’t reveal much right away, if at all. Much is left unanswered. Most questions are open to interpretation. But he answers enough to reveal why watch these three films.