Rating (4 out of 5)
Warning: This is a foreign film, so reading will be required through all of the movie.
Scott and I have gotten the FilmStruck service which has a lot of movies, and would recommend the service if you are looking for older movies or international films. He wanted to watch the Three Colors again. I had watched them many years ago, and it was good to see them again. White is my personal favorite of the three movies. Oh, and in case you didn’t know, there is three movies Blue, White and Red. White is from 1994.
The story follows Karol Karol, a Polish man married to a young Frenchwoman. The films starts with them getting a divorce, and she takes all his money and passport. He struggles back to Poland and takes his revenge on her.
What I Liked: Karol is down on his luck and everything seems to change when he demands his two Francs back at the subway terminal. I enjoyed watching his turn around and (SPOILER) his eventual revenge on his ex-wife. He gets a job as body guard (using a flare gun) while also being a hairdresser, then moves into real estate, etc.
The relationship between Karol and his friend Mikolaj was unique and my favorite part of the movie. Mikolaj first approaches him to see if he would kill someone in the subways of Paris. Right off the bat you know who it is. But the story leads in a different direction that you might think from that inital scene. Mikolaj and Karol become partners, and Mikolaj helps with the final revenge.
The writer and director, Krzysztof Kieslowski utilizes dialog very realistically, in that everyone doesn’t have to express every single thought they may have. The mix of communication, actions, facial expressions and dialog is to me realistic of how people really are. This is comes through in the relationship of Karol and Mikolaj.
In the end this is a love story, and despite what happens between both Karol and his wife, they still love each other. While dysfunctional love perhaps, I was still hoping that Karol would win back his wife in the end.
A section to me that was funny was Karol gets back to Poland in secret, by hiding in luggage. The imagery of the luggage in the airport conveyors and then his ultimate arrival were also part of the movie I enjoyed.
What I Didn’t Like: I was not a fan of the wife. She was viscously mean to her wee husband. But I understand the setup. I also never quite understand dysfunctional relationships. If Karol was my friend my advice would be ditch her and find someone nice.
Although the movie is short, there are at times it feels slow. However, I believe these are times when the directors is setting a tone for the movie. I didn’t notice these the first time, but noticed the second time.
If you have a few free minutes I suggest watching these three movies, as they are really good. They are also refreshing because there is a lack of violence, action and gratuitous sex scenes. Watch for my post over the next couple of days for Blue and Red.