Moviegoers really have no right to expect that a film this good should exist. Kieslowsky has created a work of art here. Where do I start? On the surface, this is a rather strange idea for movie: a young woman hits a dog with her car and goes to see the dog's owner and, er..., that's more or less it! Irene Jacob (as the model), and Jean-Louis Trintignant (as the retired judge) both turn in superb acting performances, which are necessary to keep their unusual relationship believable.
Beneath the surface (of the movie, not the plot), there is more dense layering than I've ever come across in any other movie. Every sentence in every conversation shimmers with alternative meaning: meaning for the speaker, meaning for the listener, meaning in the context of the film's plot, meaning in the context of the film's intent and, not least of all, meaning for the viewer. All these meanings are also mirrored in all the things that go UN-said.
Most of the important themes of human existence are touched upon: love, trust, loss, meaning (there's that word again!), fate, friendship and brotherhood (as in the interconnectedness and interdependence of ALL human beings). This is all done without any reference to religion, politics or even children, keeping the focus purely on human nature.
Kieslowsky manages to achieve the rare feat of producing a movie which is light and simple on the surface, yet is thoroughly compelling, thought-provoking and so rich in content that I could happily re-watch it time and time again...
Beneath the surface (of the movie, not the plot), there is more dense layering than I've ever come across in any other movie. Every sentence in every conversation shimmers with alternative meaning: meaning for the speaker, meaning for the listener, meaning in the context of the film's plot, meaning in the context of the film's intent and, not least of all, meaning for the viewer. All these meanings are also mirrored in all the things that go UN-said.
Most of the important themes of human existence are touched upon: love, trust, loss, meaning (there's that word again!), fate, friendship and brotherhood (as in the interconnectedness and interdependence of ALL human beings). This is all done without any reference to religion, politics or even children, keeping the focus purely on human nature.
Kieslowsky manages to achieve the rare feat of producing a movie which is light and simple on the surface, yet is thoroughly compelling, thought-provoking and so rich in content that I could happily re-watch it time and time again...