Written by Krysztof Kieslowski and Krysztof Piesiewicz
Starring Irene Jacob, Philippe Volter, Sandrine Dumas, Alexsander Bardini, Louis Ducreux, Claude Duneton, Halina Gyglaszewska and Kaline Jedrusik
France, Poland, Norway, 1991
This one's a little hard to explain, but I'll do my best -- a young Polish singer seems to have an exact look-alike, a music teacher in France. They seem to be supernaturally connected and able to sense each other in on way or another. The first section of the film follows the Polish singer who senses this connection. After her untimely death, the second section of the film follows the French music teacher who senses she has lost something but isn't sure what. The centerpiece of the film is a sequence in which one of the young women catches a glimpse of her own double boarding a bus.
Make sense? It's hard to put in words. Thankfully this is a movie so instead we get beautiful images and stirring music to help get across an unsayable but recognizable feeling. You can enjoy it just on the level of experiencing the sights and sounds, but it also gives you a lot to think about, if you feel like it.
This is not my first Kieslowski film, nor is it the first Kieslowski film of Romancefest, so settling into his usual rhythms was comforting. His movies are usually fairly slow and methodical, but never boring and always intellectually and emotionally stimulating. They can seem a little standoffish at times, and although Kieslowski is known as a master I wouldn't count his movies among my personal favorites. Still, I like to take time out every now and then, get into his flow, and see what he wants to say. Because usually whatever he wants to say is impossible, and that makes the most rewarding kinds of movies.
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