THREE COLORS: RED
A film review by Steve Rhodes
Copyright 1995 Steve Rhodes
RATING (0 TO ****): *** 1/2
RED is the story of a model who runs over a dog without killing it. When she tries to return the dog to its owner, she finds the owner does not care and says she can keep it. The owner turns out to be a recluse and voyeur who idles away his time eavesdropping on his neighbors cordless phone calls. He suffers from severe depression for some mysterious reasons, and he would like to "stop breathing." From this initial plot setup the show is filled with many characters and takes numerous twists and turns.
RED is the third and best of Krzysztof Kieslowski's putative "trilogy" - the first two were BLUE and then WHITE. You can see any of them without seeing any of the others since they are all unrelated in any real sense. Kieslowski is the writer and the director, and he is a master at the creating opaque mysteries.
RED starts as a complete enigma. Who is this hermit, and why is he so morose? What connection will he have with the young model's life? Who are all of the other minor, but important characters in what is essentially a two person drama, and what is the purpose of their roles?
From knowing nothing, but being very curious the viewer is drawn into a mysterious web. Slowly we learn more and more about why the hermit is the way he is and find out many surprises. Even more slowly we begin to see what importance he will have to the model's future.
By the end of the show, the enigma is only partially solved. We know much more about every character, but much is left unknown. You may hate the ending, you may like, or you may just be confused by it all. On the suggestion box in the show, someone had written, "I wish you would explain to me what RED was all about". Personally, I liked the ending and found it consistent with the rest of the movie.
Go to the bathroom before you enter the theater; you will not want to miss a minute of the dialog. The writing is crisp, and the pacing is deliberately and correctly slow. Much to ponder in every scene.
The camerawork is quite imaginative in the angles it uses yet it is never cutesy. The show was filmed too dark for me, but I am sure this was carefully chosen to reflect the somber mood of the piece.
The two leads were great. The model was played hauntingly by a lovely actress, Irene Jacob. The hermit was played most mysteriously by Jean-Louis Trintigant. His makeup and his constant 3 day old beard added to the conundrum of his character. As good as the leads were, the director/writer deserves most of the credit.
Other than filming it a bit brighter, what else would I change? Well, I would have liked to have seen the character of the model opened up a bit more. I would have also preferred to see some of the minor characters developed more. On the whole though, I would not change much.
At the end of the movie, an older gentlemen struck up a conversation with me for some reason. He said: "My friend saw RED last week, and he thought it was about jealousy. What do you think it was about?" I reflected a moment and then told him to me the show was teaching us that your life is an enigma, but ultimately you have a destiny with someone and that destiny will eventually be revealed to you. He said he could see my theory too. If any of you see it, let me know what you think its message was.
The movie is in French with sparse dialog which is easy to follow in the clear subtitles - watch how they use italics to show the other person is talking when they are on the phone. The timing is good, and the show runs 1:39. It is rated R for adult material and for one 5 second scene of a nude man from the rear. Any aged teenager who likes serious adult mysteries would enjoy this show. I recommend it to everyone over 12, and I give *** 1/2. This is a film that has you thinking long after you leave the theater.
**** = One of the top few films of this or any year. A must see film. *** = Excellent show. Look for it. ** = Average movie. Kind of enjoyable. * = Poor show. Don't waste your money. 0 = One of the worst films of this or any year. Totally unbearable.
REVIEWED WRITTEN ON: December 20, 1994
Opinions expressed are mine and not meant to reflect my employer's.
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