#96. Three Colors: Blue (1993)

DVD Synopsis: Praised as one of the top films of the year by critics and audiences alike, this stylish and provocative mystery delivers captivating performances and stunning imagery! Academy Award winner Juliette Binoche (The English Patient, Chocolat) is a young woman left devastated by the unexpected death of her husband and child. She retreats from the world around her, but is soon reluctantly drawn into an ever-widening web of lies and passion as the dark, secret life of her husband begins to unravel. With each startling discovery and heart-stopping surprise, Blue is sure to entertain you from beginning to end!

The Three Colors Trilogy, co-written and directed by Polish filmmaker Krzysztof Kieslowski, explores in turn the principles of Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity, ideals which grew to prominence in France during the Age of Enlightenment, and which remain an integral part of that country’s basic philosophies. Each film in the trilogy is named after a color of the French flag, and the first film, 1993’s Blue, is Kieslowski’s take on the quest for liberty, relating the story of a woman who, when left devastated by the sudden loss of her family, attempts to free herself from the world around her. 

While 1994’s Red is considered by many to be the strongest of the trilogy, Blue is my favorite entry. Aside from a masterful performance by Juliette Binoche, Blue also succeeds in exposing the most painful of human conditions, the tragic loss of loved ones, and then weaves this pain into a tale of one woman’s search for personal freedom, her “liberty” from the memories of her past. With a remarkable visual style and a story that hits at our most basic of fears, Blue is a film of singular power.

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