Three Colours: Red

After making this film, the last of the trilogy that began with `Blue’ and `White’, Kieslowski announced that he had said all that he wished to say and was giving up film-making in favour of a more socially worthwhile career, probably shoemaking. Exploring the theme of `fraternity’, symbolised by the colour red, this, his final film, follows the developing relationship between Valentine (Jacob), a young model living in Geneva, and an elderly judge (Trintignant) who she meets when her car runs over his dog.

The old man seems unconcerned about her apologies and the injuries his pet has sustained, preferring to eavesdrop on the telephone conversations of his neighbours. He remains aloof, observing their daily routines and the varying drama of their lives, without intervening. At the same time, we too are shown the personal lives of the characters in the film, from Valentine’s neighbour Auguste, a law student, and his girlfriend Karin, a personal meteorologist who specialises in weather reports for her Clients.

As with `Blue’ and `White’, `Red’ is linked, sometimes tenuously, sometimes significantly, with the other elements of the trilogy, from the old lady struggling to put an empty wine bottle into a recycling bin, too coincidental cameo appearances by major characters from all three films.

Nick Jackson