The Double Life of Veronique

R

Released Nov 24, 1991

1h 37m

Mystery & Thriller

List

85%

Tomatometer

34 Reviews

91%

Audience Score

10,000+ Ratings

Veronique (Irène Jacob) is a beautiful young French woman who aspires to be a renowned singer; Weronika (also Jacob) lives in Poland, has a similar career goal and looks identical to Veronique, though the two are not related. The film follows both women as they contend with the ups and downs of their individual lives, with Veronique embarking on an unusual romance with Alexandre Fabbri (Philippe Volter), a puppeteer who may be able to help her with her existential issues.

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Critics Consensus

Operating on confounding dream logic with Irene Jacob's beautiful performance as a guide, The Double Life of Veronique offers a moving meditation on perception for audiences willing to indulge its inscrutability.

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Anthony Lane

New Yorker

We see through a glass darkly, and often confusingly, but at least we see.

Apr 3, 2006

Full Review

David Parkinson

Empire Magazine

Compelling, challenging and irresistibly beautiful, this delicate metaphysical masterpiece only emphasises how much cinema lost through Krzysztof Kieslowski's tragically early death.

Rated: 4/5

Apr 1, 2006

Full Review

Matthew Leyland

BBC.com

If Double Life is arguably only half as rewarding as some of Kieslowski's other films, then it remains an indelible entry in an outstanding career.

Rated: 3/5

Mar 21, 2006

Full Review

Carlos Bonfil

La Jornada

A beautiful Irène Jacob, the Polish filmmaker's favorite muse, embodies two characters that are identical in their physiognomy and in the nature of their profession, although opposite in their respective temperaments. [Full review in Spanish]

Apr 12, 2023

Full Review

Zita Short

InSession Film

The Double Life of Véronique deals with weighty themes but never feels heavy-handed in the manner of other projects that attempt to introduce poeticism into the cinema.

Feb 1, 2023

Full Review

Rene Jordan

El Nuevo Herald (Miami)

It's form of salvation comes from the brilliant Irene Jacob, the indispensible guide for this lovely journey towards nothing. [Full review in Spanish]

Jan 4, 2023

Full Review

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Audience Member

I am still processing this movie and its multiple layers of storytelling. I was a big fan of Kieslowski's three colors but never got a chance to watch Veronique. I was very impressed by the simplicity and complexity of this human drama. Irene Jacob was simply stunning and exceptional.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

02/18/23

Full Review

dave s

To fully enjoy The Double Life of Veronique, dispense with the idea that the plot is important to sort out. It isn't. Weronika (Irene Jacob) is a Polish woman who strives to be a great singer. Veronique (also Jacob) is a Parisian who is also drawn to music and shares an existential angst with her Polish counterpart. While the closest the two ever come to meeting is the shared experience of a violent protest in Krakow, they both understand intuitively that the other exists. Director Krzysztof Kieslowski creates a mesmerizing, ethereal, somewhat surreal viewing experience that is as visually stunning as anything he (or anyone else, for that matter) has produced. Throw logic out the window and allow the movie to wash over you as the two characters try to come terms with the fact that they are not alone in the world.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

Audience Member

This movie is a masterpiece. The plot is also interesting even-though there is not much suspense in it. The direction of Krzysztof Kieślowski and the ending is also magnificent. The cinematography of the film is state of the art for the 90s era. In addition, the title of the film is also relevant to the whole plot

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

04/16/22

Full Review

William L

In the world of Weronika and Véronique, lives are not limited to what we can smell, taste, see, and touch. Instead, existence is a tangle of invisible threads, linking people together in unexpected ways and implying an inherent 'unknowability' to the world around us. Dripping with a slow and dreamlike atmosphere (and a yellow tinge that makes you wonder if this is actually an American movie depicting Mexico), The Double Life of Véronique is consistently melancholy (depicting a series of characters that are tied closely, that indirectly benefit and suffer from each others' experiences, and that are destined never to meet), but shows a candid, romantic sensitivity that hints at deeper connections and a greater impact to our lives than perhaps we give ourselves credit for. Kieślowski delivers the careful arrangement and attention to detail of a true auteur in this film, which is rightly considered an arthouse masterpiece, deliviering profound insights through beautiful visuals that require little in the way of studio cash or A-list acting name recognition. (4.5/5)

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

12/30/21

Full Review

andres s

Wow, beautiful how the opening panning landscape shot is upside down, and during sunset. I don't think I've seen a movie begin upside down. What a cute little girl. Now I see why the frame is upside down, the girl was looking out the window upside down. Wow the colors look amazing in this movie. The color palettes in this movie are incredibly beautiful. Wow this movie's so beautiful. The way it's shot gives it this almost dream-like quality tat is mesmerizing to watch. That kissing scene in the alley was hot lol. Really sweet and passionate. The actress who plays the main female character is very cute, very pretty. There's this very curious beauty about her, she's very lovely. There was something so strangely familiar feeling and cozy about that scene with her and her Papa. And then the beautiful classical music in the background just elevates that scene even more. WTF?!? Her auntie's lawyer is a dwarf! Lol, I didn't see that coming. That was so delightfully surprising. Dude wtf?! She has a twin sister or something? Or a doppelgänger? Dude WTF?!?! What a fucking creep that older guy walking around town flashing his junk at Weronika. Lol wtf was that all about? That was so random. Wow, that piece of music that she performs for the first time on stage with the orchestra was hauntingly beautiful. Ominous but beautiful. Wait… WHAT?! She's dead?! No way. I refuse to believe she's dead. That was so sudden and shocking. Wow, the most amazing performance she's ever given killed her. That's so fucking darkly tragic. She finally gets a shot at doing something she loves, something that's greater than her, and she fucking dies. At least she died doing what she was passionate about. I believe there's this sixth sense that we can all tap in to. I think this is what Veronique experienced right after having sex. The sadness that consumed her was the realization that a piece of her or in fact the other half of her has died. That marionette performance was dazzling to watch, so mesmerizing. It wasn't till the end that I realized the whole performance was a reflection of what had happened to Weronika. The marionette doll was a ballet dancer, died at the end doing what she loved and then was reborn as a butterfly. I wonder if the man who was puppeteering the marionettes is supposed to symbolize death, or a new beginning. There's all these ominous tones and omens throughout the movie. Like the shot of the graveyard right before she finds herself at her coworkers house. Reminds me of Don't Look Now in that regard. I feel like this coworker of her's that's getting her involved in the court case against Alexandre, the puppeteer and children's book author, is going to end up either getting her in trouble or getting her killed. I don't like it, and I don't like her one bit. If I were Veronique, I just wouldn't get involved. That whole cassette recording was trippy as hell. I don't know what to make of it. She puts her hand on the tree at her father's house and then cuts to her father milling and can sense that she's there. The last part of the movie kind of lost me, I found it disappointing. I think I was expecting a different ending. I guess I was expecting a more grounded and resolute ending - an answer. I should've known better since the whole movie is about asking question and intuition instead of answers. There's some things we cannot explain in life that are higher than our realm of senses and we just have to accept that. I was also expecting it become a thriller/horror movie similar to Brian De Palma. What the hell was I thinking?! Lmao. My only hope is that Veronique doesn't get serious with Alexandre. Incredibly dream-like and gorgeously filmed. Unexpectedly funny at times and mysteriously entrancing. Filled with beautiful symbolism. Truly unique and remarkable, unlike anything I've ever seen. All the green, yellow and orange lighting throughout the movie really gives it this almost surreal and dream-like quality to the film. At the same time, the movie unearths some very philosophical, spiritual and life-questioning questions. I'd like to watch it again sometime. Maybe I'll have a different outlook on the ending next time.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

s r

1001 movies to see before you die. An interesting film. Slow, but beautiful. Great acting. A little odd, but good nonetheless. Saw it on TCM.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

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Krzysztof Kieslowski

Director

Irène Jacob

Weronika

Philippe Volter

Alexandre Fabbri

Claude Duneton

Le père de Véronique

Guillaume de Tonquedec

Serge

Władysław Kowalski

Le père de Veronika

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Synopsis

Veronique (Irène Jacob) is a beautiful young French woman who aspires to be a renowned singer; Weronika (also Jacob) lives in Poland, has a similar career goal and looks identical to Veronique, though the two are not related. The film follows both women as they contend with the ups and downs of their individual lives, with Veronique embarking on an unusual romance with Alexandre Fabbri (Philippe Volter), a puppeteer who may be able to help her with her existential issues.

Director: Krzysztof Kieslowski
Producer: Bernard Pierre Guiremand
Screenwriter: Krzysztof Kieslowski, Krzysztof Piesiewicz
Distributor: Miramax Films
Production Co: Canal+
Rating: R
Genre: Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: French (France)
Release Date (Theaters): Nov 24, 1991, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Feb 17, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA): $46.3K
Runtime: 1h 37m

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