Bleu – B

Bleu is a film that is part of the highly regarded Three Colors Trilogy. It’s called so because the three colors match that of the French Flag. Interesting because it is directed by the Polish Krzysztof Kieslowski. Rather than an entertaining plot, we’re treated to heart wrenching disaster. On top of the disaster, writer/director Krzysztof gives us some candy as a viewer. He teases us with the color blue, which is frankly in every scene of importance. I had heard about this film from a professor of mine and was intrigued at precisely this dynamic. Initially, my inclination was that it’d be a distracting element and the plot would suffer.

Every moment of Bleu is fitting. We start off on a high then hit a low.  Within th first ten minutes, we join Binoche at the decision making point as she copes. The title of the film is perhaps the best way to express the state of the main character. Binoche stars as a woman going through trauma. She experiences a loss that would rattle the emotional make up of anyone. Becoming of such trauma, she severs her former life for a new one. She hurts her self just to feel, as well as engages in unemotional sex. Her life is fragmented and she’s hard to identify with. I’ve never had a loss like this, but I imagine she did her research. She’s an excellent actress I just find this role a bit much for any one. It’s hard to be in someone that doesn’t want to be anything.

Besides the “Blue Element” Kieslowski directs a good film. The plot is fragmented but that’s the point, Binoche’s character at a cross roads. Camera movement is standard, and the beauty of a city like Paris does most of the work for you. It’s pretty artsy, and if you aren’t a fan of Binoche, you may want to skip it. That being said I love her work. Chocolat and Dan in Real Life are wonderful. She’s the quintessential French actress with the short hair and the devilish grin. She provided a mold that I now see Audrey Tautou fitting in.

I’m looking forward to the other two installments of this series. It came very highly recommended and the women stars of the other two films have me intrigued. I haven’t heard of this kind of work before, but I imagine the gimmick worked. The other two films are titled Bialy (White, starring Julie Delpy), and Rouge (Red, starring Irene Jacob), look for their reviews in the coming weeks!