International movies by pre-eminent filmmakers have been front and centre at the ByTowne, and Kieslowski is truly one of the greats!
The Three Colours trilogy Blue (1993), White (1994) and Red (1994), notionally colour-schemed in the manner of the French flag, is structured around the classic themes of the French republic: liberty, equality and brotherhood.
However, the real themes of the trilogy are more disparate, more chaotic, less high-minded, and far more interesting: the unending torture of love, the inevitability of deceit, the fascination of voyeurism and the awful potency of men’s fear and loathing of women. To throw everything away, including one’s very identity, and start over is another powerful, recurrent motif.
The Three Colours trilogy is like a gigantic, puzzling three-part installation, resplendent with its own self-confident strangeness and beauty.
– Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian
Derrière la trilogie Trois couleurs de Kieslowski, il y a une idée simple : réaliser un film pour chaque couleur-symbole du drapeau français. Liberté, égalité, fraternité. Il ne s’agit pas d’illustrer platement chaque concept, mais d’en extraire l’essence. Les films fonctionnent séparément, et il n’est pas nécessaire de les voir ensemble. Toutefois, Kieslowski s’est amusé à mettre en place un complexe jeu de résonances entre chaque film. C’est pourquoi nous conseillerons de les voir les trois à la suite : l’expérience n’en est que plus convaincante.
– Julien Elalouf, À Voir, à lire
'Blue' is the story of Julie (Juliette Binoche), whose husband is a celebrated composer working on a high-profile project. When her husband and young daughter are killed in a car accident, Julie attempts to start life anew, free of personal commitments, belongings, grief or love. She intends to numb herself by withdrawing from the world and living completely independently, anonymously and in solitude in the Parisian metropolis. But the music of her late husband begins to command her attention, bringing her back into the world.
-- imbd.com