The Double Life of Véronique (1991)

Directed by Krzysztof Kieślowski · Drama, Thriller

Starring Irène Jacob, Halina Gryglaszewska, Philippe Volter, Guillaume de Tonquédec, Kalina Jędrusik, Aleksander Bardini, Władysław Kowalski, Jerzy Gudejko, Janusz Sterninski, Sandrine Dumas, Louis Ducreux, Claude Duneton, Lorraine Evanoff, Gilles Gaston-Dreyfus, Alain Frérot, Youssef Hamid, Thierry de Carbonnières, Chantal Neuwirth, Nausicaa Rampony, Boguslawa Schubert, Jacques Potin

IHBM9.5Masterpiece

Vronique is a beautiful young French woman who aspires to be a renowned singer; Weronika lives in Poland, has a similar career goal and looks identical to Vronique, though the two are not related. The film follows both women as they contend with the ups and downs of their individual lives, with Vronique embarking on an unusual romance with Alexandre Fabbri, a puppeteer who may be able to help her with her existential issues.

My review · Reviewed 03/02/2019

Easily one of the best movies that I have ever seen. I first heard of this movie after watching the briliant "Three Colors Trilogy" (Red, White and Blue). While reading more about those films I came across an amazing analysis written about this film by Roger Ebert (this one made his "Greatest films" list). This film is not a puzzle that is meant to be put back together. It is a film that is meant to evoke emotion and thought. It is meant to be an experience. In some ways this is a more understated version of what Terence Malick tries to achieve. But rather than beating you over the head with scenes of people swinging on tree swings or snuggling in the kitchen the directory trusts the viewer to find the nuances in facial expressions, color, etc. In other words, subtle.

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