Directed by Krzysztof Kieślowski.
Starring Irène Jacob and Philippe Volter.
Starring Irène Jacob and Philippe Volter.
In a Nutshell: The mirrored lives of two unrelated, but similar, women.
Few films will ever be as full of warmth, beauty, and mystery as The Double Life of Véronique. Krzysztof Kieślowski affectionately depicts the lives of two identical women; Weronika, a Polish choir singer and Véronique, a French music teacher. Both women look the same, were born on the same day and have a heart condition. Neither woman is physically aware of the other’s presence, but both are connected spiritually. The women pursue their musical interests passionately, with no shades of depravity. When tragedy strikes Weronika, a pang of sadness comes over Véronique. She abandons her current life and forms a bond with a puppeteer while searching for a greater happiness.
Few films will ever be as full of warmth, beauty, and mystery as The Double Life of Véronique. Krzysztof Kieślowski affectionately depicts the lives of two identical women; Weronika, a Polish choir singer and Véronique, a French music teacher. Both women look the same, were born on the same day and have a heart condition. Neither woman is physically aware of the other’s presence, but both are connected spiritually. The women pursue their musical interests passionately, with no shades of depravity. When tragedy strikes Weronika, a pang of sadness comes over Véronique. She abandons her current life and forms a bond with a puppeteer while searching for a greater happiness.
Beauty comes in Irène Jacob, in her first of two landmark works by Kieślowski, as the duel women. Slawomir Idziak’s photography casts a heavenly aura over Jacob’s features, enriching the frame with a variety of earthy reds, greens and yellows. Jacob is a cinematic gift who seems to act without direction. Every thought, every act of joy shines with unforced naturalism. At one point, Weronika and Véronique spy each other across a busy plaza. This moment crystallizes the film’s essence; the feeling of your soul inhibiting another life. Duel identity is treated as a comforting thought; the notion of another existence in communion with the other.
To try and explain the film or boil it down to a literal explanation is beside its purpose. Kieślowski has captured the poetry of life, without a conflict or resolution to sew it all up. Both characters lead imperfect lives, and the small moments of bliss are held close to their hearts and we share the experience. Imagery and motifs appear, but nothing builds or exists as an allegory. The details become clues to a mystery that never existed. We faintly sense their importance just as Véronique can feel Weronika in her life. To experience the movie is to become wrapped in its embrace without knowing why. But it is warm and familiar and instantly you know why you belong.
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