The Double Life of Véronique (1991) User Reviews (159)

Slow and sometimes self-conscious, but still remarkable gorgeous & moving

[secondtake · 8/10 · 21 August 2010]

The Double Life of Veronique (1991)

Director Krzysztof Kieslowski is one of the undisputed poets of Cold War and post-Cold War cinema. The movies in his Polish/French trilogy, Blue, White, and Red, are finely tuned, sensitive, imaginative dramas that use mystery, music, psychology and visual fluidity to immerse you in another world that is beguiling and fascinating.

That's exactly what goes on here. It's a stunning movie-making "achievement" in how it pulls off this unique blend of amorphous elements, leading you into the ambiguity of the director's invented world. And into the world (or worlds) of the lead characters, both played by Irene Jacob, a classic kind of restrained French (French-Swiss) actress with a limited range, but within that range she has penetrating beauty and a moving, melancholic aura for the camera, which lingers on her face through much of the movie. Her roles as the two women who are classic doppelgangers--they look alike, have similar talents (singing), and both have heart problems. And they overlap in reality for just a few seconds, with only one seeing the other until later, when the other finds she took a picture of the first.

This is an unashamedly lofty film. It has high art written all over it, but not in the experimental or cutting edge way of independent filmmakers of this time. Rather, it pushes European mainstream film to its most refined limits, not giving up a narrative logic, not giving up musical scoring and photographic pyrotechnics, and not giving up a cast of beautiful people doing beautiful things. In fact, the star, first shown as a child, is looking at the stars in pure wonder, and the beauty of the world is sustaining and truly marvelous for her--and this I think is the life view of the director. That the world is amazing, filled with odd and beautiful coincidences, and is mostly there to be lived and enjoyed regardless.

To some extent, he is both characters, both Veroniques. The allegories of 1980s Europe, splintering under Communism's last few years, have been written about a lot (the Polish Weronika gives herself to her music and dies for it, trapped somehow, the French Veronique is free to reject her talent, travel, and yet, ultimately, end up a puppet to her personal weakness). But the fact is, Kieslowski was both the successful Polish director who died young (though he didn't expect that I'm sure) for his art, and the successful expatriate living a life filled with art and pleasure. He embodied the modern Europe, filled with the heady optimism that led to the love of a new Europe without borders, infinite in its possibilities.

It's worth noting that Communism has just fallen when this movie was made. There is a brief scene (the bus scene with the soldiers) that inserts this with, as usual, elegance. (Note here that he again makes the individual's inner needs more important than the greater politics.) The French Veronique is free to be hedonistic, the Polish version cannot quite do that, though you feel her struggle with what to do with her life as a singer.

All of this is obviously impressive. For its intentions and its inner coherence, the movie is terrific. But it's also starting to feel self-important, a little overblown in both its allegories and even in the basic doppelganger hook that holds it together. It's also a slow movie. If you don't completely drown, happily, in the aesthetics of the film (which would be easy to do), you might find there are little moments made too important, too detailed, too unaware that the audience is getting ahead of the movie and is restless. For me this was in some of the musical segments, in the marionette scenes, and even in the very last moments, which should have blown me out of the water.

Final word. I think it would help to see this film before the Three Colors trilogy, because they are better movies, especially "Blue" and "Red." I have seen "Red" several times, and it also stars Jacob, and I love it completely still. This predecessor is thinner in comparison, but only in comparison to this remarkable director's startling successes immediately after.

The most beautiful movie I've ever watched

[chanlone · 9/10 · 18 March 2004]

I still remember over 10 years ago watching this movie all alone in a theatre with no one else (Monday afternoon or some other week day time). Irene Jacob, the streets of France and Poland, the editing, the love scenes, the plastic ball reflections, and especially the music all are so beautiful that actually made me shivered and stunned.

Kieslowski's in another world now. I always worry whether it's possible to watch another movie that struck me so badly. A million thanks to him for showing me the most beautiful film of my life (probably).

p.s. this film has only been released in VHS - so ridiculous, a shame of the industry.

Beautiful/Complex - An Interesting mixture

[AdFin · 8/10 · 29 December 2001]

The above statement works not only as an honest description of the film, but also of the character (or characters) portrayed by Irène Jacob. The Double life of Véronique is not a film that allows easy description, it doesn't seem to fit in to any genre or category, it is a film that must be experienced under it's own terms, as a serious, hypnotic work of art. Director Kieslowski sets up the odd dreamlike atmosphere right from the start, using mirror reflections and odd camera distortions to show us the bizarre way that Veronique/Veronika sees the world around her. The use of sepia printing also gives the film an odd distilled look, taking us right out of any "real" reality, giving each of the frames something special. The problem this creates is that it takes away any real connection we have with the characters, we never really feel anything for them or are even that concerned for their outcomes, Kieslowski moves his actors around his "stage" in the same way the marionettes are manipulated in the film, but the film works on such a subtly hypnotic level I don't think that Kieslowski ever wanted us to feel part of this world. Kieslowski follows Veronique/Veronika through Paris and Poland, intimately probing her with close, hand-held camera, the cinema-verite effect of this making the viewer feel almost like a voyeur, following the women's every movements and encounters. The Double Life of Veronique is a film that definitely deserves to be seen and requires multiple viewings if we are to get everything out of it's complex, pre-destined narrative. A film full of beautiful images and haunting moods that you'll remember long after, if only there had been a little more focus on the characters I would certainly give it a 10. Maybe my next viewing will lift its marks. 8/10

On the suffering of Christ.

[buster-crashtestdummy · 29 December 2005]

St. Veronica, often called the patron saint of photographers, was, according to legend, one of the women who followed Christ to his crucifixion. At one point she handed the weary savior a cloth to wipe his face on. He did so, and when he handed it back to her, there was imprinted an image of his face on the cloth. The name Veronica, indeed, is a corruption of the Latin "vero icon" - the true image (yes, a contradiction in terms, I know). When Kieslowski's Veronika is unknowingly walking to her death, that is, to the audition that will lead to it, the French Veronique unknowingly photographs her from the bus in the Krakow square, while frantically trying to get snapshots from the ongoing riot.

Veronika, of course, ends up straining herself too hard singing, and because of her heart condition, snuffs it while singing those beautiful lines from Dante's Paradisio, about the ascent to heaven. Veronique, in turn, for some reason realizes that she has to give up her own singing career, and, seemingly without a single moment of regret, instead dedicates herself to teaching the music of Van den Budenmaier to untalented, bratty schoolchildren. There is little doubt, after watching the movie, that the Polish Veronika did indeed, somehow, die so that the French Veronique might live.

The opening sequence of the movie also contains the outline of Christ's life. Veronika is shown "the star that will start Chrismas Eve" (oh, the horrifically nonsensical astronomy we teach our children... but I digress. ;-) ), and immediately afterwords we are taken to France, where the child Veronique is being told about the leaves of spring. Christmas is the birth of Christ, while spring is the time of Easter, and his suffering and death.

So, is this, indeed, Kieslowski's very radical, and breathtakingly beautiful, take on the story of the suffering of Christ? Discuss, class. ;-)

The Movie & the Music

[artistico7 · 10/10 · 17 June 2002]

Only a few of the previous comments on this movie has mentioned the use of music. Just like in Trois Couleurs Bleu, the music of La Double vie de Véronique is very indivisible from the film: the visual and the auditive form a united whole and also elements of it are directly part of the story. And when it comes to music made for film, Zbigniew Preisner's powerful score for this one is as good as it gets.

When there is little dialogue, it is not just the images and expressions on Irène Jacob's face that tells the story, but also the powerful strains of music intermingled with it.

Even with just these elements in place, it would be a movie worth seeing, though obviously a narrative based in little extent on dialogue and with less emphasis on a clear-cut story than your average American movie is unfortunately lost on some of the earlier commentators.

And even this seemingly sparingly laid out narrative reveals itself to the careful watcher to be a rich tapestry of symbols, metaphors and hidden meanings. Kiéslowski, just as in his other movies, demands participation of the viewer, and the one who expects passive entertainment has found the wrong film to watch.

Krzysztof never liked discussing meaning when it came to his movies, but liked keeping that up to the viewers, and few other directors have ever been able to lay out more food for thought and fruitful interpretation than him.

I saw the Three Colours trilogy before seeing Véronique, and the many similarities, both musical and in visual narrative, makes it feel like it almost belongs together with those three to form a quartet. In some ways it has more in common with Blue than Red and White do.

Had Juliette Binoche also been cast in the role of Véronique, as I understand that Krzysztof originally had intended, the similarities had been even greater. She was, however, occupied with shooting Les Amants du Pont-Neuf at the time I believe, and so Krzysztof opted for the less experienced Irène. I don't think the film is any worse for it: she is brilliant, and not just a pretty face as some people put it, but a very intelligent and aware actress as anyone who has seen her interview for the Red DVD release should discover if they haven't already.

In short: a wonderful film, wonderful music, great acting. But not a movie for everyone.

Review for The Double Life of Véronique (no spoilers).

[theantitype · 10/10 · 4 January 2005]

Krzysztof Kieslowski's The Double Life of Véronique (originally titled La Double Vie de Véronique) might be the best film in the late director's accomplished oeuvre. Perhaps most lauded for his monumental Three Colors trilogy, Kieslowski first explored themes of duality, synchronicity, and fate in this cinematic reverie. Irène Jacob, also the star of Red, handles a double role as two women cut from the same metaphysical cloth -- the Polish Veronika and the French Véronique. Her presence as both women is at once whimsically childlike and sensually melancholic; relentlessly alluring, it is easy to see why she became Kieslowski's muse. Jacob is perfectly fluid in the shift between characters, an embodiment of ideal femininity, as dreamlike as the tone of the entire film.

Actor and director are symbiotic, relying on hazy, autumnal ambiance and mood for narrative, utilizing a subtle minimalist approach to dialogue. This is fine art, unlike heavy-handed Hollywood productions. The tone is consistently ambiguous -- emotionally resonant, to be sure, but beyond a vaguely somber, wistful undercurrent, the movie allows the viewer to fill the "empty space" with his or her own thoughts and feelings. It's a true testament to Kieslowski's mastery, and few films are ever so transcendentally sublime.

The lack of this masterpiece's availability on DVD is a sad affair. There are rumors of a release in 2005, but for fans of movies like Amélie hungry for something with a little more depth, The Double Life of Véronique comes most highly recommended -- even if you have to search high and low for a copy on VHS.

Beautiful, but somewhat unaffecting

[DennisLittrell · 8/10 · 16 February 2000]

Much of this is an adoration of French actress Iréne Jacob by Director Krzysztof Kieslowski; in a sense it is a homage to her, one of the most beautiful actresses of our time and one of the most talented. If you've never seen her, this is an excellent place to begin. She has an earnest, open quality about her that is innocent and sophisticated at the same time so that everything a man might want in a young woman is realized in her. Part of her power comes from Kieslowski himself who has taught her how she should act to captivate. He has made her like a little girl fully grown, yet uncorrupted, natural, generous, kind, without pretension, unaffected. She is a dream, and she plays the dream so well.

The movie itself is very pretty, but somewhat unaffecting with only the slightest touch of blue (when the puppeteer appears by the curtain, the curtain is blue, and we know he is the one, since she is always red). The music by Zbignew Preisner is beautiful and lifts our spirits, highlighted by the soprano voice of Elzbieta Towarnicka. But the main point is Iréne Jacob, whom the camera seldom leaves. We see her from every angle, in various stages of dress and undress, and she is beautiful from head to toe. And we see her as she is filled with the joy of herself and her talent, with the wonder of discovery and the wonder of life, with desire, and with love.

Obviously this is not a movie for the action/adventure crowd. Everything is subtle and refined with only a gross touch or two (and no gore, thank you) to remind us of the world out there. Véronique accepts the little crudities of life with a generous spirit, the flasher, the two a.m. call, her prospective lover blowing his nose in front of her... She loves her father and old people. She is a teacher of children. She climaxes easily and fully. To some no doubt she is a little too good to be true. And she is, and that is Kieslowski's point: she is a dream. And such a beautiful dream.

An actress playing the character twice in a slightly different way has occurred in at least two other films in the nineties: there was Patricia Arquette in David Lynch's Lost Highway (1997) and Gwyneth Paltrow in Sliding Doors (1998). It's an appealing venture for an actress of course and when the actress is as talented as these three are, for the audience as well.

Note that as Weronika/Véronique is in two worlds, Poland and France, so too has always been Kieslowski himself in his real life. It is interesting how he fuses himself with his star. This film is his way of making love to her.

Kieslowski died in 1996 not long after finishing his celebrated trilogy, Trois Couleurs: Bleu (1993); Rouge (1994) and Bialy (White) (1994). We could use another like him.

(Note: Over 500 of my movie reviews are now available in my book "Cut to the Chaise Lounge or I Can't Believe I Swallowed the Remote!" Get it at Amazon!)

Divine

[alfondo · 10/10 · 2 June 1999]

Probably the best film of the decade. These are some keywords I think best suit this film: Religious, Fatherhood, Duplicity, Fullness, Sensuality, Offbeat

Due to the blasphemous american rants below (I can´t imagine a single movie from the USA in the 90s better than this one, sorry for that), I decided to write about this peculiar film. I think the film is more accessible for european viewers, the same way Dawn by law might be for american viewers (I can´t bear that pretentious american underground movies at all, with cool men swearing all the time, trying to be funny... I can´t identify with most of nineties american characters). There are many american art house films buffs as well, so I can´t say this is a general fact, it´s just my view anyway.

Regarding the development of the characters, Tsylia probably couldn´t understand at the beginning of the film how both women are described so poeticly. Weronicka is watching at the stars, while Veronique is watching the leaves fall. I see this is not evident but it says a lot about the two. Weronicka is more spiritual, magical, and Veronique is more practical, more "down to earth". If you cannot see the metaphores throughout the film you will not grasp anything about the development of the characters, that´s for sure. Furthermore, Irene Jacob performance is sublime, you can see on her face so many "difficult to express" sensations, she´s not just a beautiful face as it has been stated below (I can name hundreds of pretty american girls on stupid films, I was shocked to read Irene Jacob is just pretty, couldn´t these people see she´s a valuable actress as well). In any case she´s pretty in the sense Catherine Deneuve is, I mean she´s not the common beatiful woman, you can see by his gestures that she feels alone in the world, that she feels the fullness of life, ... She sometimes seems like an angel in this film (Weronicka).

I´m an atheist, but I admit the religious or spiritual feeling of the film engages anyone. The film evokes the idea that gifted people such this soprano singer have a spare part somewhere in the world, the same way the puppetier has a spare marionette for the one he uses most.

God is not mentioned but the scenes are revealing: Veronique caresses the bark of a thick tree in the very last scene, which could signify her real father as well, or just the idea of fatherhood.

The music is ten out of ten, if you feel nothing while listening to Preisner´s masterpiece, you´d better not say you´re sensitive anymore. This is his best for me alongside with the music for Short story of a killing and Damage soundtrack which sounds cruel and mysterious to me.

I can´t think of any other film more precious and lyrical than this one.

Dreamlike sepia tones

[ellkew · 6/10 · 7 June 2008]

I saw this film about 14 years ago. I saw it again recently and it still has a power about it. It contains some extremely beautiful imagery. My favourite scene is the brief moment when Weronika throws her ball at the ceiling and all the dust falls down on her face as she stays still for a moment. Simple and stunning. It is not my favourite Kieslowski, I would reserve that place for Blue and then No End and the Dekalog series but it has a lovely quality to it. I have never liked the ending really but enjoy the way it comes about. The general concept it strong and it is this that gives the film a slightly haunted quality which it pulls off. Jacob is amazing to watch and the story seems woven as a dream. It is a forerunner for his masterpiece to follow and even a moderately good Kieslowski film trounces most others.

The Music and Irène Jacob

[Fataneh · 9/10 · 23 April 2007]

"The Double Life of Veronique" is also focusing on the connection made between two people like Kieslowski's Three Colors trilogy or his heaven,hell and Purgatory.But it is not about two people with a strong bond or two twins.The two girls are not merely soul mates,they're two versions of the same person.Like an old belief that after we die, our body will appear in different circumstances and live a new life.(in here they live two different life simultaneously).

The power of music in Kieslowski's film is inevitable.The scenes are not significant by themselves,the impact of the ideas and images with the powerful music make the film special.Kieslowski well used colors and camera filters to create an ethereal atmosphere which was very helpful in creating the films sense .I think the music and Irène Jacob performance were the most outstanding pieces of the film.

The central question of the film is "Is it just a matter of chance that one thinks and acts as one does?..Is there something as free will?"...It is a question of our lives too.

Interesting and engaging

[grantss · 7/10 · 8 June 2020]

Weronika lives in Krakow, Poland and is an aspiring classical singer. Veronique lives in Paris and her career is also in music. They look identical but have far more than this in common.

Interesting, engaging drama from Krzysztof Kieslowski (Three Colours - Red/Blue/White, A Short Film About Killing). Sensitively, lavishly told story by Kieslowski, drawing you in. This is helped by an excellent performance by Irene Jacob as the two Veroniques. Quite enchanting.

Not perfect, however. The connection between the two is never fully explored and I kept waiting for the film to kick up a gear, as it felt like it was just coasting the whole way through. Kieslowski does a great job of setting everything up but then doesn't provide the powerful, profound ending to tie it all up.

Overall, watchable but a bit disappointing.

Superb! Existential feast of ideas from the Master!

[tatyana-2 · 10/10 · 11 November 2003]

Kieslowski drives me to hyperbole, but I am not exaggerating when I say that this film is truly one of the best films ever made. It's an exploration of identity, presentiments, relationships (with the "self" and others) and the soul. Such themes could be messed around, but in the hands of such talented people, these so-called "irrationalities" are brought to life with beauty, subtlety and intelligence.

The music is amazing, the cinematography is stunning and Irene Jacob is wonderful. This is one of greatest films to explore the idea of the soul - and one of the best films, in general. If you haven't seen it, prepare to be moved by the metaphysical, the mysterious, and the humanity of the piece. If you like the Trois Couleurs trilogy, you'll surely love this too and maybe even feel like you've returned home, to the tree, to life, to the beginning - Kieslowski had the ability to move us all in such ways. Enjoy his beautiful film!

Empty beauty.

[barberoux · 6/10 · 20 August 2001]

I tried to like this movie. I saw it years ago and was not impressed. I then saw Krzysztof Kieslowski's trilogy Blue, White, and Red which I thought were wonderful so I thought I'd give Veronique another chance. Well it wasn't any better the second time. The movie had no substance. It seems to be enamored with Irene Jacob's beauty lingering on shots of her face. The movie is worthwhile for that, Ms Jacob is indeed a beauty, but it doesn't carry the movie. There were glimpses of what was to come in his subsequent movies though not enough to fill the movie. If you like to look at beautiful women's faces this is the movie for you. I like a bit more from movies, some soul to flesh out the face.

like watching a film where every third scene is missing

[mjneu59 · 4/10 · 14 November 2010]

The story of two identical women, born on opposite ends of Europe and connected only by a tenuous spiritual link neither one is fully aware of, asks the question: are we really alone in the world? Bur director Krzysztof Kieslowski doesn't provide much else besides an affirmative answer, and the concept itself is limited because the two Veroniques are never allowed to meet (if they did the whole thing would be just another Twilight Zone episode, with subtitles). It's certainly a beautiful movie, with quite a few magical moments balanced against an unforgivably vague narrative concerned mostly with the French Veronique's pursuit of an enigmatic puppeteer. Along the way are some intriguing, teasing suggestions of several more-then-coincidental similarities between the two women, but the effect is not unlike watching a film where every third scene is missing, and because the burden of meaning is placed entirely on the viewer it will likely infuriate anyone expecting a more coherent story.

Beautiful haunting storytelling

[ashtonross · 1 December 2003]

I still listen to the haunting music that weaves it's way through this film and it never fails to move me. The whole film is almost like a modern day ghost story, following its own logic through the simplest but most effective storytelling techniques, beautifully crafted by a master director. Irene Jacob has never been better than here, and I would recommend it highly.

A Masterpiece

[truemythmedia · 10/10 · 4 September 2019]

This is a film which defies explanation. The story, on the one hand is quite simple in concept. There is a linking force between two women who live countries apart yet somehow have a sense of the other, even a love and kinship with each other. The one of them seems ignorant of it until that link is severed, at which point she sets about trying to understand the link she has lost.

Truly, what sets apart the film is not the unique concept (though it is fascinating) but, rather, the way Kieslowski tells the story through dreamlike remembrances, refractory light and reflection, beautifully haunting and lifting music, and a performance from Irene Jacob which must have been a combined effort between her and the director.

Beginning with the latter, I have to say that there is something odd yet wonderful about Irene Jacob's ("Au Revoir les Enfants") performance as both Veronique and Weronica. Avoiding voice over to add interior monologue is a challenge. When you are working with an actress who performs as brilliantly as Jacob the answer is acting. At almost no point in the film are you left wondering what she feels or what she is thinking. Her face says it all. Her body language punches it home.

Hers is a face which can shine forth with innocence, passionate desire, heart-heaviness, soul rending grief, and exuberant joy, even as she astounds with singing performances which carry away the audience. She really is what makes this film work. Without her there is nothing here to watch.

This understanding that what the audience connects to is through what they see and experience through the film allows Kieslowski to create a true work of art. Like The Mona Lisa, theories abound as to what he meant by it but ultimately he has left it up to us viewers to find meaning within.

Many have said that they see religious allegory. Others see supernatural connection of spirit between people or even reincarnation. For me, There are some key scenes that lead me to believe that it is, at least in part, about generational knowledge and human collective consciousness.

In many ways it seems that Veronique learns from the experiences that her counterpart Weronica has had even when she is totally unaware of the connection. She has a sense of what she should do in any given moment or situation, despite never having had a similar experience. She just knows what is the right thing to do.

This theory of mine is furthered by the presence of both girls' fathers and their interesting relationships with them. The one seems far closer than the other but is that because she has learned from the other's mistakes or because we must all learn the balance between a past generations knowledge and our own self knowledge.

In ways, I think this film encourages us to find a balance between the two, realizing that we are more than just ourselves or even the various possible paths we could take through life. We are communal beings who live amongst others, not just in our physical environments, work, school, and home, but also in our spirits, minds, and hearts.

The film provokes one to rumination and thought, to be sure. I am confident that while another person may see "The Double Life of Veronique" and see something completely different within it, they will see something which captures their heart and wakens their spirit as only great art is able to do.

Poetry and Music

[LysisX · 10/10 · 8 January 2003]

Like Last Year at Marienbad this is a film so beautiful that its worth viewing even if there is no meaning to it. The use of light and shadow is spectacular, the music is divine, and the camera is constantly seeking and finding beauty in every shot.

Looking at the postings so far it seems everyone has a different explanation, so I might as well throw mine into the mix. To me Veronique/Weronika are twin angels being manipulated (guided might be a better choice of word) by God (or an abstract Divine) for some unfathomable purpose. Consider the use of the puppeteer as a metaphor for the condition, look at how he says he makes two because they are fragile and break easily (just as Weronika breaks in her concert). Veronique speaks of how she always knows what to do in every situation as if her life is leading up to something. Theres a telling scene about midway through the film where Veronique walks between shadows through a slender path of light her face gazing rapturously at the the sun. Both V's appreciate and reflect the beauty around them: light, shadows, the falling rain, ... highly reminiscent to me of the 'fallen' angels in Wings of Desire.

A tale like no other ***Spoilers***

[ardent-1 · 10/10 · 9 October 2002]

Cinema--it is said or more accurately theorized--was originally intended as a way to create an experience that can be shared by all. However, while watching this film for the first time, and the many times i've experienced it since, i've felt, like almost all the characters in this picture, a profound sense of loss and loneliness.

An absolute magical exploration on the duality and also the polarity of identical strangers, The double life of Veronique is a film you MUST watch very closely and pay strict attention to. Every scene of this film, in some respect, matches other scenes to come. You'll have to pay attention to subtle clues and details as well as the metaphorical film language to notice them. Fear not! THIS isn't some kind of intellectual thinking persons picture. HOWEVER some profound questions are raised here about the very existence of SELF as well as the definition or what we define as human experience.

There isn't much you can say about this film that hasn't already been said and if you've never heard it said please allow me to say it: This is one of the greatest films ever made and I strongly recommend watching this film alone. Why alone? Perhaps this is odd to say but the loneliness that haunts this film is surprisingly comforting. Only the magician (Krystoff Keislowski, Director) knows what he intended for the viewer when he made this. For the true answer go ahead and drift into the unique world that this film offers and allow yourself to be a part of cinema's greatest lullaby.

the great puppeteer

[dromasca · 9/10 · 7 October 2017]

Seeing the films of Krzysztof Kieslowski is a special experience, now, more than two decades since he stopped making films, and died soon after. The Polish director's relative short life (he died at the age of 54) and career (less than two decades) is now turning into legend. Each of his films shows the quality and the emotion of a true master of the cinema. "The Double Life of Veronique" (or "La double vie de Véronique" in French) is one of his best known movies, made at the peak of his cinema career, between the Decalogue and the Three Colors trilogy. Somehow I missed it at release. Now, in the perspective of the life and death of the director, not only that it stays as a remarkable piece of cinema but it is enriched with new significance.

Fate and identity are the two big topics of this film. Have you ever had the feeling that you are not alone or even unique in the Universe, that somewhere or maybe in some other time, a parallel destiny is shared with yours? Did you ever feel like your life is not the result of your own decisions, that higher forces manipulate you life, same as a puppeteer controls his marionettes? If you ever felt something like this or if you can understand or imagine such feelings, this story of two young women, living in two different parts of Europe, sharing talents, feelings and fate without their lives ever intersecting for more than a few seconds, this story should not seem strange at all.

Beautiful films (and books, and paintings, and musical works) have complex layers of meanings and a multitude of details that are revealed to the viewer, reader, listener. This is exactly the case with "La double vie de Véronique". One can use multiple keys to read the story. There is a political reading about the parallel destinies of the two women who are born and live on the two sides of the curtain that divided Europe and was just falling down by the time the film was made. There is a philosophical reading about destiny and about the controllers of the destiny (the puppeteer, the writer who creates characters and write about their destinies). There is a religious reading with multiple symbols that ask to be examined from the name of the main character to the music that is sung and played during the film.

Each of the scenes includes details that support the multiple stories and have their place in it, in some cases relating to other scenes in the peer story. The only exception was the secondary thread about presumptive perjury by the French Veronique whose sense I could not decipher. Music plays an important role, as the two women are musicians, they sing and teach music that reflects their relation with fate and God. So does light, which is in some cases maneuvered by the characters. The mirrors also show up in many scenes, sometimes as a reflection of the self, in other cases as a gate to the other side, as in Lewis Carroll's stories. Shades and mysteries follow the characters and the viewers at any corner and in any moment.

Kieslowski's mastering of the art of cinema is matched by the superb acting of Irène Jacob. She is strange and beautiful, sensitive and expressive. I can also wonder why her star paled after Kieslowski stopped making films, and why other film directors could not make better use of her beauty and talent. She is part of the same generation of French and French-speaking actresses as Juliette Binoche for example, but their post 1995 careers were so different. What a pity.

I am happy to have discovered "La double vie de Véronique", even if so late. It's a film to see and see again.

Doesn't Come Together

[dartana · 6/10 · 19 June 2020]

There are some beautiful moments in this film, things that make you feel like there are depths of truth that are being reached but it doesn't all come together.

In the end it feels a randomly generated series of scenes pieced together that don't form a bigger whole. Picture this: a man walking his dog with a baguette underneath his arm, cut to a girl playing frisbee by herself fetching the frisbee each time she throws it, cut to another girl who looks like the first but isn't who steals the man's baguette. Drama. Intrigue. Mystery. Or more likely - something that just doesn't make sense. And this is the camp that the film belongs to.

It is a dangerous move when you abandon many notions of narrative - sometimes it can pay off big, but for me, this didn't make it. Still as I said moments of beauty and maybe you'd get more out of the overarching project of the film than me....

"Now I know why you were the one."

[classicsoncall · 8/10 · 19 June 2018]

I watched this film a second time because I thought I might have missed something during my first viewing. It turned out I hadn't, but with the second viewing I had a better understanding of the two characters and who they were in relation to each other. Portrayed by Irene Jacob, both Weronika and Veronique share some sort of psychic link which is broken when Weronika collapses and dies during a musical performance. Weronika's death and burial so soon into the picture is somewhat jarring, as it leaves one feeling that an integral character in the story had no opportunity to impact the outcome. That feeling of confusion moves along in the story as Veronique struggles to learn the identity of a secret benefactor who makes unidentified phone calls and sends her packages with odd enclosures.

How can one best describe the film? It's erotic and seductive to be sure, as well as sensitive, dreamy, romantic, ethereal and mesmerizing. At the same time it can be mysterious and incomprehensible. Director Krzysztof Kieslowski allows the viewer to individually interpret his movies and this one struck me as a dreamscape, almost as if the characters of Weronika and Veronique weren't real in the first place. The effect is so disorienting that it will take some time for me to discover whether I liked it or not. I lean toward the former, though with a sense of apprehension, as seeing it again at another time might prove to move me in a different direction.

An enigma....

[faraaj-1 · 7/10 · 27 November 2006]

The Double Life of Veronique is an enigma. Like most viewers, I fell into the trap of trying to unravel the mystery when there was none. Weronika is a young Polish concert musician with a heart condition and cool aunt. Just as she collapses from a fatal heart attack in the middle of a performance, the action shifts to France where we meet Veronique - played by the same actress Irene Jacob. She was born on the same day as Weronika and is her double. In fact, she felt a pain at the moment that Weronika died.

The Double Life is a beautiful looking film, not just because of Irene Jacob's perfect breasts. The music is a central element and strength of the film. It is a very romantic film and the minimalist approach to dialog adds to the beauty. The railway sequence is quite unforgettable. In watching the film, its important to let go of reason and rely instead on emotions.

Beautiful...

[unicorn-27 · 10/10 · 9 May 2003]

Beautiful, beautiful film. Every frame is a work of art. Personally I feel that this director had one of the best eyes in the business. His Three Colours trilogy another example. But this film is just magical in its atmosphere. Sheer beauty.

fine art-house film of sadness

[SnoopyStyle · 6/10 · 27 August 2015]

Weronika and Véronique are two unrelated connected lives. Weronika (Irène Jacob) is a singer in small town Poland. She gets an audition for a choir. Then she sees french tourist Véronique (Irène Jacob) taking pictures. Weronika collapses and dies in her first performance. Véronique feels the lost and quits singing.

There is a pervasive saddest throughout the movie. The film is drained of bright colors. Weronika's life is the first 30 minutes and the rest is Véronique dealing with a lost that she can't fully comprehend. Irène Jacob is a beauty. She has a great dreamlike quality. However the two characters don't have enough separations. It's a fine art-house film of sadness.

Artful nonsense

[michaeljharvey · 4/10 · 13 July 2008]

We've all, at one time or another, seen more artistic movies mocked by the general movie-going public. Usually I'll chalk it up to the average viewer's lack of patience for more intense, intelligent cinema. However, in this case, any ridicule of artistic excess seems just.

This is a film where nothing much happens and not much makes sense. Why does Veronique have an exact double half-way across Europe? The film introduces this idea and then simply lets it float about without explanation. Of course the viewer is left perplexed and frustrated. What was the director trying to say? Did he even know what he was trying to say? There's plenty of symbolism throughout the film that is very cryptic, not offering the viewer much help towards deciphering the story.

This film reminds me of a modern art gallery, where pretentious "art experts" endlessly debate the meaning of a black square inside a white square. Sometimes a piece of art can simply look interesting while saying nothing coherent or concrete. That is the case with this film. It's a collection of pretty pictures that don't add up in the end. I suppose one could re-watch this film a dozen times, trying to glean some sort of deeper meaning. However, I'll pass. It's brutally slow and tedious; the prospect of continually re-watching this dull tale is not very appealing.

Perhaps this film is highly regarded because many reviewers feel it's so cryptic and strange, it simply must be an artistic masterpiece. No one wants to be the uncultured everyman to stand up and say, "This film makes no sense. It's a pretentious mess. Nothing of interest happened and the characters are not at all compelling." The cinematography is beautiful and Irène Jacob is beautiful. Based on that, the film earns a 4/10.