Bleu (Kieslowski, 1993)

Julie (Binoche) takes a moment to reflect on her past.

Recommended by Ali

Where has Juliette Binoche been hiding all my cinematic life? She’s a naturally beautiful woman who could pass as Audrey Tautou’s older sister and although her radiance is captivating, the sensitive performance she delivers in this film is even more striking. I am now very curious to seek out other films she has appeared in because this is one talented actress. She carries the entire film on her delicate shoulders with such residual melancholic perseverance. Binoche has this soft, unspoken fragility about her; an almost angelic quality with glowing porcelain skin and bright hazel eyes. Her portrayal of a woman with deep unsettling grief is nothing short of dazzling. The way she bottles up her tormented feelings is gripping to say the least; Binoche’s luminous eyes and pretty face expressively depicting an emotionally scarred individual unable to come to terms with tragedy.

Bleu is the first of Krzysztof Kieslowski's Trois Couleurs trilogy followed by Blanc and Rouge which represent the three colors of the French national flag. The color blue itself is strongly used as a form of symbolism throughout the film whether it through lighting, lens flares and even as an editing tool to transition scenes which reminded me of Bergman’s use of the color red in Cries and Whispers. Viewed as an allegory, the narrative of Bleu represents liberty; a word possessing several definitions depending on the context. What exactly is Kieslowski trying to say about the liberties of human individualism? Is he talking about liberty in a political sense or is it strictly personal? You decide.

Classical music plays an integral role on both the narrative and aesthetic level. Julie (Binoche) is the wife of a famous composer and is also a professional musician. After losing her young daughter and husband in a tragic car accident, she feels that the only rational thing to do now in order to deal with the grief is to run away to start a new life. The pain is just too great and Julie wants to isolate herself as far away from society as possible. Leaving the past behind is not a healthy way of coping with calamity especially when those withdrawn feelings have a nasty habit of finding their way back to the surface. The story is rather trite and simple in structure but the themes are richly conceptualized. Kieslowski is more interested in focusing on Julie’s internal struggles and the creation of mood.

One of the ways he lucratively explores these two various aspects is with the use of music in an unorthodox fashion. In the traditional sense, the score of a film is usually edited seamlessly to compliment the images but in this film, Kieslowski deliberately draws attention to the way in which music affects audience perception. He does use it for continuity purposes to create mood but often edits it isolated away from the story-action as a way of communicating Julie’s state of consciousness or to audibly convey her feelings at a specific time. As a predominantly quiet film with characters speaking in hushed voices, the random insertion of a forceful classical piece of music can be slightly jarring. There are also several scenes of Binoche trying to work something out in her head when all of a sudden there is a quick fade to black -- possibly suggesting a state of un-consciousness as the beautiful melodies strike up to powerful crescendos.

Calmly observant, Kieslowski’s style of filmmaking is relatively tame but ironically enough, completely mesmerizing. His camera techniques and use of color are alluring in an absorbing kind of way making it difficult to turn away from the screen. His camera remains mostly static as if patiently waiting to capture the perfect moment. His affection for Binoche is apparent in the way he uses many close-up shots of her beautiful face (hell, if I was making a movie with her, I’d use nothing but close-up shots). There are also several extreme close-up shots of her eyes where you can actually see the dilated pupils. It’s almost as if Kieslowski is trying to pierce directly into his protagonist’s soul to release her from the aching burden that haunts her.

Ending the film with a biblical proverb set to operatic vocals seems very fitting and brings the film’s themes full circle. Perhaps it all comes together a little too neatly but that’s hardly an imperfection. The final image is bittersweet and will no doubt leave a lasting impression. It is just simply beautiful. This is a near flawless film that is subversive in its artistic approach of narrative as well as showcasing one of the best female performances of the 90’s. Bravo.

[***1/2]