Three Colours: Red

Featuring red imagery and Zbigniew Preisner’s score, Red is the emblematic work of a director associated with metaphysical, contemplative cinema. In this parable about chance and playing God, the final instalment of the Three Colours trilogy, Kieślowski includes characteristic motifs associated with the mature stage of his oeuvre: from his interest in human morality, the evocative nature of visual symbols, to the role of destiny. The encounter between the model Valentine (Irène Jacob) and the judge Joseph, who spends his retirement eavesdropping on his neighbours’ telephone conversations (Jean-Louis Trintignant), is a pretext for examining fundamental values: justice, responsibility, and fraternity (Red is considered an interpretation of the French Revolution’s slogan). Nominated for an Oscar in three categories, the film also suggests – as does the billboard that features Valentine – that even the least expected situations can hide a “refreshing taste of life”.

Joanna Najbor

Krzysztof Kieślowski (1941–1996) was a Polish filmmaker who started out as a director of documentaries. He gained international fame with the TV series The Decalogue (1989) and two films that were extended versions of its episodes, A Short Film about Killing and A Short Film about Love. These were followed by The Double Life of Veronique (1991) and his last work, the Three Colours trilogy (1993–94).