Two identical, unrelated women in Paris and Warsaw (both played by Irene Jacob) are nonetheless metaphysically bonded and, when one dies suddenly from a heart condition during a music recital, the other, a music teacher, feels acute grief and sorrow while simultaneously being stalked by an aware puppeteer as part of a social experiment. Unique though specific to the director's canon, Krzysztof Kieslowski's The Double Life of Veronique is marked by its stunning cinematography, resplendent music, and a luminous, nuanced performance from the enchanting Jacob although the opaque subject is not expanded upon and left rather abstract.

*** out of ****

With each title taken from the colors of the French flag and stories very broadly drawn from the motto  "Liberty, Equality, Fraternity" (much similar to the way he drew up The Decalogue), Krysztof Kieslowski's Three Colors trilogy is brilliantly conceived, expertly committed, and lovingly acted by several generations of gifted international actors. Here's a brief word on each film:

Blue (1993)

The first entry is a unique take on grief as a widow marches to her own beat following her renowned classical musician husband's death. Juliette Binoche is quite wonderful in the lead, the direction is spot on, and great use of music is employed (especially during jarring fadeouts in key moments) although the film does get a little heavy in the finale

*** 1/2 out of ****

White (1994)

The second film in the series is lighter, and a wry, clever little story at that involving a jilted Pole's complex revenge scheme against his beautiful Parisian ex-wife. Zbigniew Zamachowski Julie Delpy turn in fine work as the couple, Janusz Gajos is great in support as a sympathetic entrepreneur, and the exterior photography of the Polish countryside is exceptional.

*** 1/2 out of ****

Red (1994)

Red is the finest of the lot, detailing the growing friendship between a model and an elderly voyeuristic neighbor, uses backhanded story weaving and a keen eye and is told with the superb services of Irene Jacob and Jean-Louis Trintignant.

**** out of ****

A woman learns that the man who raised her is not her birth father. A violent psychopath is put to death. A father bestows in his son to hold science over all else and pays the ultimate price. The Decalogue is a television mini-series, ten episodes, each loosely based on one of the Commandments and revolving around residents of a Warsaw Public Housing Complex. Krzysztof Kieslowski's ambitious, genuine passion project is epic in scope, often engrossing, and features poetic imagery but is frequently impeded by obvious moralizing.
*** 1/2 out of ****