Polish film director Krzysztof Kieślowski (1941-1996) is one of the most influential directors of the 1980s and 1990s, with the Trois Couleurs trilogy – three films that came out in 1993 and 1994 – widely regarded as a highlight of his varied work. The trilogy title refers to the colours of the French flag, but also to the fundamental principles of the French Revolution: liberty, equality, and fraternity.
In Trois Couleurs: Bleu, Trois Couleurs: Blanc and Trois Couleurs: Rouge, Kieślowski intelligently and often ironically presents the elaboration of these principles at the end of the 20th century, assigning a key role to themes such as kinship, chance and the search for what is morally correct. All three films were co-written by Kieślowski, Krzysztof Piesiewicz and Agnieszka Holland.
Eye Filmmuseum has recently digitally restored the three films, which can be seen in Rialto De Pijp from 12 January 2023.
Trois couleurs: Rouge
In this third part of the Trois Couleurs trilogy, Kieślowski presents his view on the third principle of the French Republic: fraternity. The film received international acclaim and was nominated for three Academy Awards as well as many other awards. The leading roles are played by Irène Jacob and Jean-Louis Trintignant, who died in 2022.
On her way home, model Valentine (Jacob) accidentally hits and injures a dog. She manages to track down the owner, a retired judge (Trintignant). The judge, a cynical, reclusive man, turns out to secretly spy and eavesdrop on his neighbours. When she discovers this, Valentine is appalled at first, but soon fascination wins out and a curious relationship develops between her and the judge. Meanwhile, one of the former judge's neighbours, Auguste, is about to take his judge's exam. It may be a coincidence, but Auguste's life shows striking parallels with the life of the old judge.
Click here for all the Kieślowski films.
