A look at the lives of two doppelgängers, both young female singers, one living in Poland and the other in France.
Krzystof Kieslowski sprang from the constrictive but vital Polish film industry to become one of the most revered international directors of the late 80's/early 90's. Coming off his ambitious television mini-series The Dekalog, a 10-episode rethinking of the Ten Commandments, he set his sights outside his native country for the first time to explore the New Europe slowly emerging after the fall of the Berlin Wall.
Thematically the film deals with fate vs. free will, and touches upon ideas of mysticism, coincidence, spirituality, and synchronicity. Some have read a political subtext regarding life under Communism vs. life outside of it. Stylistically Kieslowski makes a break from the naturalism of his previous works with a heavy use of filters and image-distorting lenses.
Kieslowski's collaborators include co-writer Krzystof Piesiewicz (who worked on every one of the director's films from 1985 onward), and cinematographer Sławomir Idziak (Black Hawk Down, Gattaca). Actress Irene Jacob was cast in the lead dual role despite not having carried a film before.
The Double Life of Veronique was screened at the Cannes Film Festival in 1991 and received the award for Best Actress, as well as two Best Film awards from independent juries. Kielslowski would go on to make the acclaimed Three Colors trilogy before his death from cancer in 1996.
Film runs approx. 90 min.
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