Polish immigrant Karol Karol finds himself out of a marriage, a job and a country when his French wife, Dominique, divorces him after six months due to his impotence. Forced to leave France after losing the business they jointly owned, Karol enlists fellow Polish expatriate Mikołaj to smuggle him back to their homeland.
Zbigniew Zamachowski
Karol Karol
Julie Delpy
Dominique
Janusz Gajos
Mikołaj
Jerzy Stuhr
Jurek
Grzegorz Warchoł
Elegant
Jerzy Nowak
Old Peasant
Aleksander Bardini
Notary
Cezary Harasimowicz
Inspector
Jerzy Trela
Monsieur Bronek
Cezary Pazura
Exchange Office Owner
Michel Lisowski
Interpreter
Piotr Machalica
Man under the Exchange Office
Barbara Dziekan
Mrs. Ewa
Marzena Trybała
Mariott Employee
Philippe Morier-Genoud
Judge
Francis Coffinet
Bank Clerk
Yannick Evely
Metro Clerk
Jacques Disses
Dominique's Lawyer
Teresa Budzisz-Krzyżanowska
Madame Jadwiga
Krystyna Bigelmajer
Jerzy Dominik
Airport Employee
Jakub Grzegorek
Man at Funeral
Małgorzata Kaczmarska
Airport Employee
Aleksander Kalinowski
Stan Latek
Consulate Representative
Joanna Ladynska
Marianna Grodzka-Marziano
Registry Office Clerk
Jan Mayzel
J. Modet
Liliana Okowity-Brosset
Karol's Employee
Adam Papliński
Wojciech Paszkowski
Policeman in a Hotel Room
Małgorzata Prażmowska
Maria Robaszkiewicz
Woman at Funeral
Zdzisław Rychter
Baggage Thief
Bozena Szymanska
Bartłomiej Topa
Jacek
Wanda Wróblewska
Store Employee
M. Verner
Piotr Zelt
Employee of Karol's Company
Juliette Binoche
Julie
Florence Pernel
Sandrine
Andrzej Precigs
Building Engineer (uncredited)
Grażyna Szapołowska
Woman at the Funeral (uncredited)
Director, Screenplay
Krzysztof Kieślowski
Screenplay
Krzysztof Piesiewicz
Story Consultant
Agnieszka Holland
Story Consultant
Edward Kłosiński
Story Consultant
Edward Żebrowski
February 10, 2023
5
**I liked it, but the script seems a little too far-fetched.**
Of the three films in Krzysztof Kieslowski's “color trilogy”, this is perhaps the closest to comedy. The plot begins with a couple's divorce: he is Polish and went to France because of her, who is French. Both got married, set up a common life, but the truth is that the couple's sex life is nil, he is not capable of consummating the act. He's not impotent, he's not homosexual, he just seems intimidated by the moment. Not satisfied with that, she keeps the goods, takes everything from her misfortunate ex-husband and threatens him. Living on the street, with no money and no life prospects, he decides to return to Warsaw in his own suitcase. After a while, he is a rich man. He's not an honest man, he didn't make his money in the most innocent way, but the movie ignores the morality around that. It's time to make the little Frenchy pay for what she did to him, and pay dearly.
Let's go first to the points that I liked the most about this film: on a technical level, it's an impeccable work of art. The director is meticulous, he thinks of the smallest details and wants everything the way he envisioned it. The color white is omnipresent throughout the film, as it was in “Blue”. The cinematography is remarkable, and the construction of the sets and costumes is quite good. Despite being elegant, the music really accentuates the dark comic vein of the film, which works very well. The work of the two main actors, Zbigniew Zamachowski and Julie Delpy, is also very good. He, however, gains more visibility not only for being the protagonist, but for the very ironic and pleasantly funny way in which the character was developed. Delpy's role is not as rich, nor as interesting, but the actress manages herself well.
The biggest problem I had with this film is the near-absolute unlikelihood of the script. In addition to the protagonist making money very easily without apparently any problems or harmful consequences, he is very much torn between love and revenge. On the one hand, it's obvious that he's never forgotten his ex-wife, that he loves her, despite all the bad things she's done and all the difficult situations he's been through to him because of her actions. He just doesn't seem to be able to hate her. On the other hand, he hates her enough to make her pay for everything, and in a very original way. What are we left with? Revenge without hate?
Status:
Released
Original Language:
French
Budget:
$0.00
Revenue:
$0.00