Three Colors: Blue

R

Released Dec 3, 1993

1h 37m

Drama

List

96%

56 Reviews

Tomatometer

93%

25,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

Julie (Juliette Binoche) is haunted by her grief after living through a tragic auto wreck that claimed the life of her composer husband and young daughter. Her initial reaction is to withdraw from her relationships, lock herself in her apartment and suppress her pain. But avoiding human interactions on the bustling streets of Paris proves impossible, and she eventually meets up with Olivier (Benoît Régent), an old friend who harbors a secret love for her, and who could draw her back to reality.

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Critics Consensus

Three Colors: Blue contains some of director/co-writer Krzysztof Kieslowski's most visually arresting, emotionally resonant work -- and boasts an outstanding performance from Juliette Binoche in the bargain.

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David S

It was pretty good but had two flaws. It's the story of a woman who's badly injured and whose husband and child die in a car wreck. They seem to have had a full life, yet in all the time she's in the hospital no one visits and in subsequent months she sees only her husband's work collaborator (once for sex) and her mother who has Alzheimer's (although 65 or so is really too young for advanced Alzheimer's. No other family, no friends. Just unbelievable. The other flaw is that her husband was one of the best classical music composers in the world. I mean really, do we need another movie about the elite like this? It just came across and sooooo pretentious.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

10/06/23

Full Review

Garvis W

Always loved this movie

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

09/29/23

Full Review

Matthew B

How does one deal with grief? That is the subject of the first film in Krzysztof Kieślowski's Three Colours Trilogy. Grief is the price that we pay for love. To deny grief is to deny the love that we felt for the person once living, and that is the reason why people find it hard to let go of grief. But what if a person found the grief too painful, and decided that they would rather deny love of any kind than deal with the hurting? We learn remarkably little about Julie's husband and daughter. They are portrayed as the object rather than the subject of her grief. Our only glimpse of them while they are still alive is a few brief shots where the camera view is either out of focus, or is filming them from behind. Julie's husband was a composer. At the time of his death, he was working on a choral work celebrating European unity. Or did Julie write his compositions, as some people believed? He had warm words to say about Julie, which is all the more surprising since he was betraying her. His personality is never described to us. It might be expected that the loss of a child would be the more serious concern that preoccupies Julie, but in fact we learn nothing about her daughter. There are small hints of Julie's feelings. One of the few things that she keeps in her new apartment is a lamp with blue beads that was presumably in her daughter's bedroom. Later in the movie, Julie acts as a surrogate mother to two women, and provides a home for another child connected to her father. There is also a cruel parody of her motherhood in the mouse that invades her apartment to raise its young. In depicting Julie's grief, Kieślowski could have dealt with the issue in a manipulative and sentimental manner, but he does not. At least the manipulation is subtle. The story seems to have little drive and direction, but there is a clear path leading to the final scene, and the story has a greater artistic unity than it first appears to show. Even without sentiment, this is one of the most heart-rending portrayals of loss shown on screen. Kieślowski's films benefit from well-chosen actors. In the case of Blue, Julie is played by Juliette Binoche, an actress who has one of the most expressive faces in cinema. There is little need to put her feelings in words. The pain is evident in her face. There are other moments when Julie's repressed emotions show on the surface. At one point she drags her knuckles along a stone wall until they bleed. On several occasions, a scene apparently ends with the screen going black and a sudden crescendo of music. Normally this is used in movies to reflect the passage of a period of time. In this film, when the fade-out ends it returns to the same scene at the same moment in time. It is as if a whole era of time has passed for Julie in a single moment. Julie believes that she must protect herself by cutting herself off from human contact: "I don't want any belongings, any memories. No friends. No love. Those are all traps." She thinks that she can only survive by seeking liberty from human relationships. The story tracks her journey back to accepting that true liberty is found within them. The musical work composed by Julie's husband seems emblematic of the story. Throughout the film, short extracts from the piece are played, but it is only at the end of the film that a large part of the performances is heard. What is a musical work but a series of notes that have no harmony when played on their own, but which come together to form an artistic whole when played together? To compose the music requires the collaboration of other people. To perform the music requires the efforts of an entire orchestra. Kieślowski's film too may seem fragmentary at first, but when the parts come together the full impact of Blue is clear. One might even say that it is similar to a musical composition in structure. I wrote a longer appreciation of Blue on my blog page if you would like to read more: https://themoviescreenscene.wordpress.com/2021/01/14/three-colours-blue-1993/ I also wrote an overview of the three movies: https://themoviescreenscene.wordpress.com/2021/01/09/krzysztof-kieslowskis-three-colours-trilogy-an-overview/

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

09/22/23

Full Review

Paolo P

Pura poesia. Film stupendo.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

08/19/23

Full Review

federico m

Kieslowski's masterpiece. It tears you apart. It's unbelievable how he can portray emotions and feelings on screen. No need for words, just images, acting, and music.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

Dave S

Three Colors: Blue, the first of Krzysztof Kieslowski's Three Colors trilogy, stars Juliette Binoche as a woman who loses her husband and daughter in a tragic car accident. Faced with an uncertain future, she divests herself of virtually all things related to her family in an effort to start of new life free of the memories of her loved ones. Gorgeously shot in hues of blue, representing liberty on the French flag, by Kieslowski mainstay Slawomir Idziak, it is a haunting evocation of suffering and loss. On top of being a visual feast, the movie is brilliantly written by Kieslowski and his regular collaborator Krzysztof Piesiewicz and features a vulnerable performance from the always reliable Binoche. While it is a great stand alone film, it really should be seen in close proximity with its counterparts (White, Red) to be fully appreciated.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

10/16/23

Full Review

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Krzysztof Kieslowski

Director

Juliette Binoche

Julie Vignon-de Courcy

Benoît Régent

Olivier Benoit

Florence Pernel

Sandrine

Charlotte Véry

Lucille

Emmanuelle Riva

La mère de Julie

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Derek Malcolm

Guardian

The film is almost totally schematic and this weakens it. What strengthens it is the sheer emotional power of its making.

Jun 22, 2023

Full Review

Kevin Maher

Times (UK)

The score from Zbigniew Preisner is extraordinary, the opening motorway crash sequence is terrifying and the final close-up, as Julie is ultimately reconciled to her fate, is unutterably moving.

Rated: 5/5

Mar 30, 2023

Full Review

Peter Bradshaw

Guardian

There is something so rich and spacious and unhurried here. There is a wonderful reach and flair in Kieślowski’s film-making.

Rated: 5/5

Mar 30, 2023

Full Review

Richard Huntington

Buffalo News

Juliette Binoche as Julie, a bereaved heroine, nearly saves this existential rehash. With her somnambulistic stares and her ability to make silence a palpable experience, she gives a badly overwrought film some moments of real profundity.

Rated: 3/5

Feb 29, 2024

Full Review

Sean Axmaker

Stream on Demand

The saturated hues are calming, protective, but also isolating; the rest of the world fades away when she's enveloped in the blue of the water.

Oct 28, 2023

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Imran Khan

PopMatters

Grand reminders of the little motions that gather slowly but surely, to deliver the quick, sudden turns that give even the most indolent life meaning.

May 11, 2023

Full Review

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Synopsis

Julie (Juliette Binoche) is haunted by her grief after living through a tragic auto wreck that claimed the life of her composer husband and young daughter. Her initial reaction is to withdraw from her relationships, lock herself in her apartment and suppress her pain. But avoiding human interactions on the bustling streets of Paris proves impossible, and she eventually meets up with Olivier (Benoît Régent), an old friend who harbors a secret love for her, and who could draw her back to reality.

Director: Krzysztof Kieslowski
Screenwriter: Krzysztof Kieslowski, Krzysztof Piesiewicz
Production Co: Tor Film Production, CAB Productions, MK2 Films, France 3 Cinéma, Ced Productions
Rating: R
Genre: Drama
Original Language: French (France)
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 3, 1993, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 11, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA): $539.2K
Runtime: 1h 37m
Sound Mix: Surround

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