Review of The Double Life of Véronique (1991) by Mister C — 04 May 2005

A lush, visually compelling, emotional journey. As we find out through Veronique, the movie is less concerned with the mechanics of two seemingly identical women in separate areas of the world, but with how it affects her character. Veronique has had some kind of psychic, almost subhuman connection with Veronika, in the form of premonitions and the [i]je ne sais quois[/i] of "not being alone", as Veronika put it.

Most of the film is set in a storybook-like sepia tone, which uses show to great affect in creating a mysterious atmosphere. The use of music, as with the Three Colors Trilogy, it also inspired, and creates several haunting, almost surreal sequences, particularly involving Veronika. The use of symbolic imagery, such as looking through glass and reflected images, or other objects which alter one's visual clarity or perspective are very well-used, as is the metaphor of the pupeteer in reference to God and fate. Irène Jacob is excellent with nonverbal acting. There's one particular moment with Veronique, where she sees the difference between knowing and [i]knowing[/i] the truth about what she has believed, that is absolutely exquisite. Unforgettable.

I do feel that the Jean-Pierre subplot contributed nothing to the story, and the film would've been more taut if this had been excised. However, this is a small misstep in an outstanding work by Kieslowski and Piesiewicz.