124. Three Colours - Blue (Trois couleurs - Bleu); movie review

 

THREE COLOURS - BLUE (TROIS COULEURS - BLEU)

Cert 15

98 mins 

BBFC advice: Contains strong sex references

Any movie with Juliette Binoche has to be worth watching - especially one with as many awards as Three Colours - Blue.

But, despite its critical acclaim (it is among the top 100 films of all-time in the eyes of some respected critics), it failed to resonate with Mrs W and me.

That's a pity - because I was really looking forward to the first of Krzysztof Kieślowski's trilogy.

I can only hope that it makes more sense after I have seen the other two movies - Red and White.

Binoche's character, Julie, becomes bereaved in the film's opening minutes when she survives a car crash in which her famous composer husband and small daughter are killed.

Almost immediately, she begins to set up a new life away from the mansion they owned, taking a small Paris apartment without telling anyone.

However, she is unable to escape her past completely and eventually has to confront the consequences of  her and her husband's actions.

Our problem was that Three Colours: Blue takes such a long time over minutiae. For example, the camera lingers over a sugar cube soaking up coffee. Why? I've no idea.

Julie reacts strangely throughout, one minute determined to find her way, the next minute seemingly lost.

I guess that is a fair reflection of bereavement but, while there is no doubt that Binoche gives everything to her performance, we couldn't work out what the overall point was.

And then it rather seeps away without any conclusion.

As said, perhaps it will all become clear over the next two episodes but I fear not.

Reasons to watch: Moody Binoche

Reasons to avoid: Very slow

Laughs: None

Jumps: None

Vomit: None

Nudity: Yes

Overall rating: 6/10

Did you know? Juliette Binoche comes from an artistic family, but her parents divorced when she was young, which caused her to struggle in school. She had difficulty focusing and was often distracted, leading to poor grades and a lack of motivation. Despite this, she persevered and eventually found success in her acting career, 

The final word. Juliette Binoche: "Spielberg just asked me for Jurassic Park and I wanted to work with Spielberg. At the same time I felt so related to Blue somehow and I had to make a decision." The Film Stage

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