Facebook Twitter Instagram
    Latest
    • 3627. I Believe In Miracles (2015)
    • 3626. The Man With One Red Shoe (1985)
    • 3625. Ode To Joy (2019)
    • 3624. One Chance (2013)
    • 3623. Falling For Figaro (2020)
    • 3622. The Polka King (2017)
    • 3621. Spies In Disguise (2019)
    • 3620. Friendzone (2021)
    The Mad Movie Man
    • Home
    • Blog
      • All Posts
      • Best Of The Year
        • Best Of 2015
        • Best Of 2016
        • Best Of 2017
        • Best Of 2018
        • Best Of 2019
        • Best Of 2020
        • Best Of 2021
        • Best Of 2022
      • The Decade In Review
      • Box Office Analysis
      • James Bond
      • Oscars
      • RANKED
      • Star Wars
      • The Big Questions
      • Top 10
      • World Cinema
    • Ratings
      • Top 250
      • Top 100 Foreign Films
      • Bottom 50
      • 0 – 1.9
      • 2 – 3.9
      • 4 – 5.9
      • 6 – 7.9
      • 8 – 10
    • Genres
      • Action
      • Anthology
      • Animation
      • Christmas
      • Comedy
      • Crime
      • Documentary
      • Drama
      • Fantasy
      • Film-Noir
      • History
      • Horror
      • Kids’
      • Musical
      • Psychological
      • Romance
      • Sci-Fi
      • Short
      • Silent
      • Sport
      • Superhero
      • Survival
      • Thriller
      • Western
    • Release Year
      • 2020s
      • 2010s
      • 2000s
      • 1990s
      • 1980s
      • 1970s
      • 1960s
      • 1950s
      • 1940s
      • 1930s
      • 1920s
    • Country
      • Afghanistan
      • Argentina
      • Australia
      • Austria
      • Belgium
      • Brazil
      • Cambodia
      • Canada
      • Chile
      • China
      • Colombia
      • Costa Rica
      • Czechoslovakia
      • Czech Republic
      • Denmark
      • East Timor
      • Faroe Islands
      • Finland
      • France
      • Germany
      • Georgia
      • Greece
      • Hong Kong
      • Hungary
      • Iceland
      • India
      • Indonesia
      • Iran
      • Iraq
      • Ireland
      • Israel
      • Italy
      • Japan
      • Latvia
      • Lebanon
      • Laos
      • Malaysia
      • Mexico
      • New Zealand
      • Nigeria
      • North Korea
      • Norway
      • Paraguay
      • Peru
      • Philippines
      • Poland
      • Romania
      • Russia
      • Saudi Arabia
      • Singapore
      • South Korea
      • South Africa
      • Soviet Union
      • Spain
      • Sweden
      • Switzerland
      • Syria
      • Taiwan
      • Thailand
      • Turkey
      • Uganda
      • United Kingdom
      • United States
      • Uruguay
      • Vietnam
      • Zambia
    • About
    The Mad Movie Man
    You are at:Home»Review»1433. The Double Life Of Véronique (1991)

    1433. The Double Life Of Véronique (1991)

    0
    By The Mad Movie Man on July 28, 2016 1991, 6 - 7.9, 90-99 mins, Drama, Fantasy, France, Jul 16, Movies Of 2016, Poland, Review
    7.9 Bizarre, but stunningly beautiful
    • Acting 7.9
    • Directing 8.2
    • Story 7.7
    • User Ratings (0 Votes) 0

    Starring: Irène Jacob, Philippe Volter, Wladyslaw Kowalski

    Director: Krzysztof Kieslowski

    Running Time: 98 mins


    The Double Life Of Véronique (La double vie de Véronique/Podwójne życie Weroniki) is a French/Polish film about two identical women, Véronique and Weronika, who have never seen each other before, and live on opposite sides of Europe. However, they are subtly connected in every part of their lives.

    This film doesn’t actually make much sense. It’s a bizarre and mystic story that mixes fantasy and the real world wherever possible, and it makes for a truly confusing watch. That said, Krzysztof Kieslowski’s directing, along with Irène Jacob’s central performance, give the film a hauntingly poetic atmosphere, by far the film’s most impressive and exciting feature, making it a hugely captivating experience.

    Let’s start off with the story (or whatever I can make of the story). The film is split into two parts – first looking at the the life of Weronika, who lives in Kraków. Although significantly shorter than the second part, Weronika’s story is absolutely stunning. Whilst it appears that her life is on the up with a series of successful singing auditions, Kieslowski gives her story a very dark and unnerving tone.

    Throughout, Weronika is shaded by dark, ominous colours, but the most powerful part of her story is the various scenes where we see her singing opera. As beautiful as the music is, Kieslowski’s ingenious ability to turn down all sound around her (but for a few deep musical tones) gives her voice a truly haunting tone, and it really contributes to that sense of unease as we watch her story unfold. It’s a bizarre opening to the film, but it packs a real punch that gets you hooked until the end.

    Now we move onto the second part of the film, the life of Véronique in Paris. In comparison to Weronika’s story, this isn’t quite as powerful or poetic, but it’s still a beautifully-told story that’s enthralling to watch. Working as a music teacher, Véronique becomes embroiled in a complicated love affair with a man she’s never met.

    I won’t spoil anything, so all I’ll say is that the romance follows a slightly more coherent path than Weronika’s life earlier on, but still breaks for a series of truly bizarre moments of fantasy where Véronique and Weronika’s lives appear to be linked in the smallest of ways.

    That’s a much more common theme throughout the second part of the movie, and although it’s not necessarily the most believable element, it fits in beautifully within the film’s abstract and fluid tone. I may not have been hooked on the idea of the two doppelgangers, but the way that Kieslowski brings the story to light is enthralling, thanks to his brilliant use of music and colours.

    Finally, we’ve got to talk about Irène Jacob in the leading role(s). Véronique and Weronika are two different people, and Jacob shows that first and foremost. It’s not as if we’re just watching the same person do the same performance but under a different name, rather seeing Jacob give a different show as the two women, whilst bringing their similarities to attention. The two seem immediately similar given that they’re physically identical, but Jacob does a fantastic job to give them very similar yet still distinct personalities throughout.

    Overall, I was hugely impressed by The Double Life Of Véronique. I may not have been able to fully comprehend some of the more abstract and bizarre elements of the film, but Kieslowski’s artistic style that brings a graceful yet haunting tone to the film makes it a truly compelling watch, and that’s why it gets a 7.9 from me.

    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
    The Mad Movie Man
    • Website
    • Facebook
    • Twitter

    The Mad Movie Man, AKA Anthony Cullen, writes articles and reviews about movies and the world of cinema. Since January 1st, 2013, he has watched and reviewed a movie every day. This is the blog dedicated to the project: www.madmovieman.com

    Related Posts

    7.1

    3627. I Believe In Miracles (2015)

    5.8

    3626. The Man With One Red Shoe (1985)

    7.9

    3625. Ode To Joy (2019)

    Follow Me Online!
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
    • Tumblr
    New Releases
    5.3
    January 17, 2022

    3620. Friendzone (2021)

    7.1
    January 10, 2022

    3612. The Lost Daughter (2021)

    8.0
    January 7, 2022

    3609. Licorice Pizza (2021)

    7.2
    January 7, 2022

    3608. Lamb (2021)

    7.4
    December 30, 2021

    3599. The King’s Man (2021)

    6.3
    December 29, 2021

    3598. The Matrix Resurrections (2021)

    8.4
    December 28, 2021

    3597. West Side Story (2021)

    6.3
    December 27, 2021

    3596. Gunpowder Milkshake (2021)

    Recommended Movies
    8.5
    Review
    August 10, 20150

    1053. A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)

    8.2
    Review
    September 16, 20130

    286. King Kong (1933)

    8.1
    Review
    April 3, 20150

    913. Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner (1967)

    8.0
    Review
    February 25, 20150

    869. The SpongeBob Squarepants Movie (2004)

    9.6
    Review
    June 12, 20160

    1380. A Short Film About Love (1988)

    Popular Posts
    7.1
    January 24, 2022

    3627. I Believe In Miracles (2015)

    5.8
    January 23, 2022

    3626. The Man With One Red Shoe (1985)

    7.9
    January 22, 2022

    3625. Ode To Joy (2019)

    7.4
    January 21, 2022

    3624. One Chance (2013)

    6.3
    January 20, 2022

    3623. Falling For Figaro (2020)

    7.5
    January 19, 2022

    3622. The Polka King (2017)

    6.0
    January 18, 2022

    3621. Spies In Disguise (2019)

    © 2022 ThemeSphere. Designed by ThemeSphere.

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.