"Trois couleurs : Rouge" (1994)

Fraternite

There are certain encounters (even the short ones) in our life, which catalyzes the most profound changes in our life. 10 years ago I have met a person and we were chatting on different themes and I felt, as if I have known this person for 1000 years. My foolishness was the reason why I lost this person, but I was given a very important last message: «You’re one of those, who consider themselves cynics, but you still didn’t have enough of life. In 10 years you would probably understand me».

I understood those words much earlier, but I have got a chance to say it to this person. That acquaintance lasted for about three weeks, but it was a case for a «full reboot» of my system. I would be glad, if the life of this person would be good, because without this wisdom, I would be still a complete life fool. You would ask me – why am I torturing you with my biography? I am doing this, because even during the first viewing of «Trois couleurs: Rouge» I recalled all acquaintances, which caused the profound effect in my life.

A lot of our life events are dictated by accidents. One negligent word, which causes the mist profound harm to another man; one accidental encounter in unusual place, which causes the most profound changes in our life; acceptance to University, about which you have never dreamed. As everything else, accidents could be positive or negative.

MSU Professor Vladimir Tomsinov always tells the law students the following: «In the law school you are indoctrinated into thinking, that all people are scumbags. You cannot trust anyone. You will be cheated or tried to be cheated by the people, whom you are allowed to do this. What king of lawyer is it, who believes in integrity and honesty of other people?»

Those words could be fully attributed to criminal judges. During their practice they will encounter such things, which would easily destroy any traces of believe in humanity. Also criminal judge, as God, has an absolute power to condemn to prison or death (the latter in some countries). Judge could condemn non-guilty and acquit guilty, but by the time of retirement they reach complete spiritual burnout.

A retired criminal judge Joseph Kern is one of those burned out men, who lost faith in everything. He developed an addiction for human scum and he satisfies it by spying on the neighbor’s telephone calls. Every day brings him closer to complete indifference and loneliness, and even runaway of his dog Rita doesn’t bother the judge too much.

A young student and model Valentine Dussaut is one of the rare type of people, who has «a beautiful soul». One night, she accidentally hits Rita with her car and bring the dog back to the judge. The Judge is not too interested in a dog and he rudely sends away Valentine, but she tells him a few words, which have the most profound effect on the judge’s soul. After some time, the Judge and Student would meet again…

I am not a big fan of poetry, but I remembered one line of «Ulysses» by Lord Tennison: « I am a part of all that I have met ». The main heroes became the «parts of each other» and unleashed the best in them. The Judge no longer feel a need to explore scum, because he regained his faith in humanity; the Students sees a lost man in need of help and not an angry and poisonous old fool. Although they cannot be together because of the huge age difference, their good deeds woulg light their life cycle.

Some critics considered «Trois couleurs» as a manifesto of a New Europe. If they meant a political union, than they were wrong, because it is not a political trilogy, If they meant a possibility for the Polish director to attract French financing in order to make film about common themes of humanity, which would be applauded on the Western film festivals, then they were right.

Krzysztof Kieślowski travelled a long path in his art. If in his first feature film he was a cynic and misanthrope, his last films shows his transformation into the highest form of humanist. The last film enables people to believe, that there are still some kind people left on Earth and their unselfish kindness create an unbreakable bond with other people.

I, as these French girl, who said to the Director about « La Double Vie de Véronique», that this film «made her to believe that soul exists» watched the film beyond the end titles and understood, that something inside of me was better. Thank you, Pan Krzysztof, for giving us the art into the highest meaning of this word. Maybe someone else would also watch the film and feel something good.