A woman tries to put her life back together after a tragic accident.
Polish filmmaker Krzysztof Kieslowski rose from obscurity to become an internationally revered figure in just under five years. Initially intending to have a career in the theatre, he studied film as a means to acquire a college degree, and eventually wound up attending the renowned Lodz Film School in the mid 1960's. After several documentaries, he moved into narrative filmmaking, and had major success with The Decalogue, a 10-part miniseries for Polish television, each episode taking a unique, modern look at one of the Ten Commandments.
Now on the world map, Kieslowski moved outside Poland to collaborate with France-based producer Marin Karmitz on The Double Life of Veronique in 1990 (winner of multiple awards at the Cannes Film Festival) and then embarked on his most ambitious project to date: a trilogy of films based on the national motto of France: "Liberty, Equality, Fraternity", symbolized by the colors on the country's flag. While the source of the idea comes from France, each installment of the trilogy was primarily set in a different country, and at large form a commentary on the New Europe following the fall of communism in the East.
Blue was shot in Paris with one of France's biggest stars, Juliette Binoche. Kieslowski reteamed with co-screenwriter Krzysztof Piesiewicz and score composer Zbigniew Preisner, essential figures in the success of his recent work. Each film in the trilogy features a different cinematorgrapher, here Sławomir Idziak. The titular color appears throughout on various backgrounds and objects, and filters were also used to accentuate the tone.
While the films are rife with symbolism, they are focused down to the stories of essentially ordinary people, and like Kieslowski's work on the Decalogue, are effective primarily due to their humanism, and specifically here thanks to Binoche's landmark performance.
The film premiered at the Venice Film Festival, and shared the Grand Prize as well as winning awards for Binoche and Idziak. Critical reviews were rapturous and ensured an eager reception for the next film in the series.
Running time is approximately 90 min.
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