BLUE

This movie is part of a three movie series called trilogy; Blue, White and Red, realized by director Krzysztof Kieslowski. Blue is the story of a woman, plays by the French actress Juliete Binoche that tries to go on with her life after a terrible car accident. During this accident, she lost her little daughter and her husband. He was a famous composer and was working on to create a piece that would celebrate the unification of Europe. From then, everything seems to be unworthy and not important for Julie, the name of her character. She tries to put the past behind by cleaning up. She puts her house for sale and sends every work of her husband to his collaborative partner. The first work on the piece goes out to the garbage. Julie retakes her unmarried name and moves to a new place. She wants a fresh start. But there is always this music in her head that could not stop. In some ways, the music shows her suffering at the same time she reminds her of the past. The Collaborator goes on public television to reveal a copy of the unfinished piece which he receives from the secretary. Julie comes back and comes across new revelation about her husband. She learns her affaire with a young lawyer that is pregnant of his child. This new revelation is sort of easing Julie’s pain and allows her to move forward. Unexpectedly she stops the sale of the house and gives it to the lawyer. She wants the baby of her husband to grow up in his house. And the end she finishes the music and signs it her own.

Music is one of the theme is this movie. It reveals Julie’s inner suffering and her emotional state of mind. One can see at each resonant of the music, she is kind of going out of her mind. That music also allows her to free herself from this past. It becomes the vehicle through which she freed herself. This is to music that she finds her way back to life. As the flutist states to her, you have to have something to hold on to.
There is also freedom into this movie. At one point I can say that Julie was trap behind her husband persona. She was that supportive woman who participates in the creation of her husband‘s music, without any credit for it. She made certainly many sacrifices to support him. This is the case in which one of the conjoint has to travel a lot. Julie is also trapped by pain and her past memory.
One can see and feel throughout the movie that this woman is in pain. Despite she is not crying out, her face seems sad and each time the music comes back, this is an invocation of that.
This is a film with a different style from the continuity editing of Hollywood. Shots are not in line up so one can grab its popcorn and relax to understand the film. It requires more than that. You have to actually participate and fill in the blank. There is no indication that the woman used to collaborate with the husband in writing his music except the word of the TV show host on the matter. However, she finishes the piece and signs it of her own. We see her write notes and evocate style. Was this the fruit of her memory recalling him trying this style or did she possesses her own knowledge.
If we accept the fact that she was collaborated with the husband. One can ask what kind of pressure could keep her in such a low profile. The husband could at least credit her for her work along side of him. Was it that she sacrifices herself because of love? As she becomes aware of his betray, she decides to free herself from his spell and claims possession of the piece. The give away of the house could also be part of this reach out for freedom.
Anyway this movie refers to a plural interpretation. It is a pleasant one to watch despite not having a strong line of action where the character principal is fully committed to reach a goal.