Three Colors: RedThere is an idea that time is cyclical, and that events in life have a rippling effect for others around them, that the events which have come before can--and will--be revisited again. This premise is similar to Samsara, a Hindu concept of a continuous flow of rebirth which in a way connects us all to one another. Red, the final entry in the Three Colors trilogy by Krzysztof Kieślowski explores this idea through the eyes of Valentine Dusseau (Irène Jacob), a young and pretty model and student, who accidentally runs over the dog of a retired judge, Joseph Kern (Jean-Louis Trintignant). Though the two have a rocky start, they embark on the beginning of an important friendship which alters their lives.
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From the preceding paragraph, I might have given you the impression that Red is a science fiction movie, but this is far from the case. Rather, Red is a drama about the deep connections that remain unseen by us, and the effects our actions have on one another, and the fraternity we share as members of the human race. Like the previous entries in the Three Colors series--Red addresses a quality inherent in the ideals of the French Revolution, represented in the national flag by the color red: fraternity, a sense that we are all a part of the same community, no matter the size or place. Valentine and Joseph could hardly be more different from one another if they tried, if we base their meeting solely on their first encounter. After Valentine runs over his German Shepard, Rita, she takes her to Joseph's house in Geneva, surrounded by other houses in close proximity. Joseph doesn't answer when Valentine rings, so she enters--albeit apprehensively--to ask if he would like her to bring Rita in or take her to a vet. His reply of indifference is as galling to Valentine as it would be to any sympathetic soul. But when Rita runs away to return to Joseph's house, Valentine has a chance to revisit this encounter with the retired judge. While the two do not warm immediately, they begin to learn much about one another, compelled to understand one another for different reasons. Valentine is kind to a fault, almost naive--she eagerly waits by the phone (or at least answers it as fast as possible) when her absentee boyfriend calls, and he's a jerk. But Valentine also has convictions, and does not fall sway to assertive advances, like her photographer makes at one point. And though she is (and believes others are) basically good, she is shocked on principle when she learns of Joseph's "hobby". As Joseph is a retired "man of the law", it would seem inconceivable that he would find entertainment in tapping the phones and spying on his neighbors. To a point, his and Valentine's relationship shares qualities with that of James Stewart and Grace Kelly in Rear Window. Valentine insists that everyone is entitled to a private life, but Joseph--with his aged wisdom--feels that onset of a kind of collective presence, one that is fully realized at the conclusion of the film.
As Valentine and Joseph's relationship grows--much like that of a father and daughter--he recalls the events which robbed him of a sense of innocence and the loss of his only love. As their story progresses, a side story of neighbors plays like a parallel tale, one which shares many similarities to those of Joseph's past, that of the young judge, Auguste (Jean-Pierre Lorit), and his relationship with a woman who people call to get a weather report. The events that occur to Auguste are so similar, Joseph's life might have been a prediction of it--also, Joseph is convinced that his spying and consequential actions have to do with Valentine's intervention. Like the other entries in the trilogy, Red makes predominant use of its titular color throughout the film, not simply as a bold, stylistic choice, but to set the tone for a story which is full of life and an inevitable kind of outreach to one another. For instance, Geneva is the headquarters for the Red Cross, an international humanitarian organization, and the color is identifiable with blood, the literal source of life within us all, which when Valentine accidentally wounds Rita, causing her to bleed, fills her with a sense of love for the pet...even her name Valentine has associations with matters of the heart, and she has a big one. If Valentine is the sister of mercy, Joseph is a self-appointed God, sitting in judgment upon his neighbors, observing them, not really living vicariously through them so much as needing to be a presence in their world. He has dreams, and shares one with Valentine, which he describes in a prophetic way, although there is no way to know its significance at the time he tells her. Valentine hears his dream, and accepts it to be a prophecy, even though she cannot understand it beyond what he tells her. Joseph does not appear to have any qualms about manipulating Valentine to act as an unwitting agent for his potential plots and schemes, but is not malevolent, and does nothing intentionally to put Valentine in harms way. Rather, in his way, he is trying to reach out to her, teach her--not harden her, but help her understand him...a somewhat anachronistic move for someone who seemed so aloof at first. Red makes extensive use of the telephone to convey connections between people, especially those we never see, represented in the first few moments with the racing along the wires, connecting person to person over vast spans of distance. And that is what Red is truly about: we are so connected with one another, that even our most insignificant of actions can have long-reaching effects.
Recommended for: Fans of a touching (but not melodramatic) story of a kind young girl and misanthropic older man becoming friends and learning a little about the world from one another. Also, learning to never trust weather reports.
As Valentine and Joseph's relationship grows--much like that of a father and daughter--he recalls the events which robbed him of a sense of innocence and the loss of his only love. As their story progresses, a side story of neighbors plays like a parallel tale, one which shares many similarities to those of Joseph's past, that of the young judge, Auguste (Jean-Pierre Lorit), and his relationship with a woman who people call to get a weather report. The events that occur to Auguste are so similar, Joseph's life might have been a prediction of it--also, Joseph is convinced that his spying and consequential actions have to do with Valentine's intervention. Like the other entries in the trilogy, Red makes predominant use of its titular color throughout the film, not simply as a bold, stylistic choice, but to set the tone for a story which is full of life and an inevitable kind of outreach to one another. For instance, Geneva is the headquarters for the Red Cross, an international humanitarian organization, and the color is identifiable with blood, the literal source of life within us all, which when Valentine accidentally wounds Rita, causing her to bleed, fills her with a sense of love for the pet...even her name Valentine has associations with matters of the heart, and she has a big one. If Valentine is the sister of mercy, Joseph is a self-appointed God, sitting in judgment upon his neighbors, observing them, not really living vicariously through them so much as needing to be a presence in their world. He has dreams, and shares one with Valentine, which he describes in a prophetic way, although there is no way to know its significance at the time he tells her. Valentine hears his dream, and accepts it to be a prophecy, even though she cannot understand it beyond what he tells her. Joseph does not appear to have any qualms about manipulating Valentine to act as an unwitting agent for his potential plots and schemes, but is not malevolent, and does nothing intentionally to put Valentine in harms way. Rather, in his way, he is trying to reach out to her, teach her--not harden her, but help her understand him...a somewhat anachronistic move for someone who seemed so aloof at first. Red makes extensive use of the telephone to convey connections between people, especially those we never see, represented in the first few moments with the racing along the wires, connecting person to person over vast spans of distance. And that is what Red is truly about: we are so connected with one another, that even our most insignificant of actions can have long-reaching effects.
Recommended for: Fans of a touching (but not melodramatic) story of a kind young girl and misanthropic older man becoming friends and learning a little about the world from one another. Also, learning to never trust weather reports.