Three Colours: Blue
The first part of Krzysztof Kieslowski’s famous trilogy is a masterpiece, modern European cinema at its finest. Juliette Binoche stars as Julie de Courcy, a woman who, mourning the death of her husband and child in a car accident, tries to sever her connections with the world, only to find herself being drawn slowly, reluctantly, back to life. Ecstatic rather than mournful, and packed with moments of hushed beauty and transcendent wonder, it’s anchored by Binoche’s performance – arguably her career best – and made unforgettable by Kieslowski’s masterful direction, Slawomir Idziak’s hallucinatory cinematography, and Zbigniew Preisner’s ravishing score.
Three Colours: White
Like a scherzo between two graver, slower movements, the second instalment of the Three Colours trilogy relocates the action to Poland – director Krzysztof Kieslowski’s homeland – and switches register to black comedy, as it charts the misadventures of the hapless Karol (Zbigniew Zamachowski), recently bankrupted by his divorce from a beautiful Frenchwoman (a radiant Julie Delpy), who finds himself hired by a fellow Pole, an émigré like himself, to commit a murder... Inspired in part by Chaplin’s Little Tramp, Karol is one of modern cinema’s great creations, and his long journey to redemption is both bittersweet and utterly satisfying.
Three Colours: Red
Kieslowski’s trilogy comes to a magisterial close, with Irene Jacob starring as Valentine, a university student and part-time model who, after accidentally hitting a dog in her car, finds her life entangled with that of its owner – an mysterious retired judge (screen great Jean-Louis Trintingnant, recently seen in Michael Haneke’s Amour), who has retreated from the world to live alone in a massive house. Elegantly exploring themes of chance and predestination, faith and doubt, this was Kieslowski’s final film; tragically, he died just two years later, aged 54. Nevertheless, it represents one of the most staggering achievements in contemporary cinema.
* All three movies are available until 31 August 2023, 11:59PM AEST. SBS doesn't charge access fees for its SBS On Demand service. ISP and data charges may apply for individual users
