A cheeky Polish hairdresser meets lachrymose Polish bridge player in a Paris subway. Cheeky has failed to consummate his marriage to beautiful Julie Delpy So she’s dumped him. She’s having a noisy orgasm on the phone. For Cheeky that’s the last straw; destitute, and on the run, he’s paying Mr Morose to shoot him in [...]
Exit Juilette Binoche, enter Irene Jacob. Yet more pouting. Except Jacob has more of an innocent earnestness about her pout. Meant to suggest disarming but charming naivete possibly, but more like gormless gullibility. Once again, we’ve got fate or chance or some kind of mysterious serendipity determining how characters encounter one another. Which means there’s [...]
Kieslowski seemed infatuated by pretty little French actresses with short dark hair; who waft out a vacuous air of pallid preciousness like Juliette Binoche in that pic (and Irene Jacobs too in Red) Binoche’s character is willfully self-controlled, too wealthy and too detached to be of much interest. Her post-crash trauma is too indulgent, too [...]
When i first saw this back in the 90′s I wanted to like it; it was Kieslowski, director of Decalog, it was gonna be great. But it wasn’t. And isn’t. Not even now. I’m just as disappointed by it as i was then. I even feel mildly irritated. I think its something to do with [...]
It was 10 past midnight. I’d drunk a bottle of cheap white wine. Therefore slightly tipsily sentimental as I slid this in. I wanted to be generous. It’s Kieslowski. He’s a top director, top bloke. He made those serious-sad films The Decalog, that bought more than the occasional tear to my eyes. Great they are. [...]
Second time I’ve seen this film. Doubt if anybody has taken it out from the library since the last time I saw it. A poky Polish drama. Earnestly serious. Grim-faced. Nothing light-hearted. Ends with head going in gas oven. Five of the actors in this film turn up in the Decalog films Kiewslowski made 4 [...]
