i just finishing watching the three colors trilogy by krzysztof kieslowski: blue, white, red. i started watching this a long time ago during my first attempt at university when i took an international cinema class--a class which i spent most of the time sleeping during the lecture and passing out during the films. since i did spend too much time sleeping in class and not really paying attention to the films, plus a general haziness of which films i saw during that period of my life, i have this desire to see those foreign films again (or one may argue for the first time). i couldn't even remember which film of the three colors trilogy it was that i saw while at university. (i think it was "red".) for any student of cinema or foreign film buffs, i think this trilogy is so well known and beloved that i dare not need talk about it. but i will do so, briefly, just to show how uncultured i am. hehehehe...

for those that don't know, the three colors trilogy are based on the three colors of the french flag. each color has a meaning and that meaning is the theme of each film, although they are woven into narratives in a way that one would not think of straight off the bat when you know what the theme is. perhaps then it's best not to know the themes prior to viewing.

"blue" will make you blue. that's the simple summary. it's slower-paced than films i usually watch. it's more about the subtlety of things and for me, such narratives are much more enjoyable as a book than as a film. there are a couple of humorous moments in the film that occur without warning (as they would in real life) and so you throw a strange look and smirk. watching the extra footage of the dvd, there are a lot of commentaries and interviews and just great stuff if you are into the film. though i didn't watch all of the extras, i came to appreciate the film a lot more watching the bonus materials than the film itself.

"white", ah this is a good one. a black comedy. i suppose since it's more upbeat and opposite of "blue" that i attached myself to the film a lot more quickly. during a scene in "blue", the main character walks into a scene that we find out is in the beginning of "white", which is part of how it all ties in together not just as a theme, but as characters who coincidentally happen to be at the same place and we as the audience get to peer into their lives even though the main characters of the trilogy never do meet until...

..."red"! i think this is where all the creative driving force for the trilogy comes into fruition, yet somehow i wouldn't say it's the best one, it's just the one that kinda answers all the questions and makes you go, 'aha!' the most. people who happen to be at the same place but not meeting continues and is magnified in this film. constantly we see the almost chance meetings that never happen. the audience is in the know but the characters are not. however there is a voyeur judge who spies on his neighbors so i suppose he is like an audience member, knowing while the characters are unawares.

there's another thing about the characters that makes the audience wonder if two separate tales are being told at the same time or something surreal is happening, for there is an older character and younger character who are quite the same. it's like an older man meeting the younger version of himself in a park--i think there's a novel like that only since i never read it i can't recall the author or title. the bonus materials mentioned 'repetition' and i think that is one of the keys to understanding this film, without giving away any pleasures of watching the film. all of the films are well-acted and have good-natured characters as the main person of the film, but is the main character of "red" that seems to be the most pure of heart. for there is an elderly woman in each film who is having trouble recycling glass bottles and it is only valentine of "red" that assists her.

during the final moments of "red", all of the main characters (except for the voyeur judge) of the trilogy escape from the same tragedy. that is the strongest connection they have to each other. if they were to have a chat, they might realize how at other moments in their lives they were at the same place at the same time, but never met until this tragedy. we do not see the characters have such a chat, but it's a nice thought to imagine them chatting about and each film is the story that they tell to the others.