Mystery

I have noted before similarities between “Three Colors: Blue” and “Drive My Car.” Both movies include a highly mysterious character. But in the case of “Drive My Car,” it’s a character who dies early in the film. In “Blue,” it’s the protagonist herself who is a mystery.

It’s a different type of mystery in this case. Kieslowski does something very risky, but ultimately brilliant in this film. He withholds as long as possible any clear sense of direction from Julie. We know she is capable of taking strong, decisive action. We see her move aggressively to distance herself. But as the movie approaches its final act, it’s hard to tell exactly where this movie is going. What’s Julie’s endgame?

Perhaps at this point, Julie herself does not know. She feels compelled to seek out Patrice’s mistress. She doesn’t have a name, just a face she’s seen from pictures. She knows where she works, so she stalks her at the courthouse. Julie thinks she recognizes her and starts staring at a woman, but then realizes she’s wrong and apologizes.

All the while, scenes from the second film in the “Three Colors” trilogy, “White” are taking place at the courthouse, and these same scenes will play out from a different point of view in the opening scene of that film. Patrice’s mistress, Sandrine, enters a courtroom where action from “White” takes place. Julie recognizes her and attempts to enter the courtroom, but is blocked by a bailiff.

So Julie waits until after court and follows Sandrine to a cafe nearby. When Sandrine gets up to go into the restroom, Julie follows her in. Sandrine was wearing her judicial robe until now, but now we can see that Sandrine is in a late stage of pregnancy. Julie asks if she was Patrice’s mistress and Sandrine says yes. Julie tells her that she didn’t know and just found out. Sandrine responds that it’s a shame, because now she’ll hate Patrice and her too.

Julie responds “I don’t know,” prompting Sandrine to say “of course you do.” She then fondles her baby bump. We find out that the baby is his. Sandrine didn’t know she was pregnant until after the accident and considered aborting it, but decided to have the child. She asks if Julie wants to know when, where and how often they had sex, and Julie said no, she just wanted to know if Patrice loved her.

Sandrine says yes, and Julie notices that she is wearing a crucifix necklace much like the one she had (and lost in the crash.) Seeing it, Julie says that she’s sure Patrice did. Julie begins to leave. Sandrine again asks if she will hate her now. Julie does not respond.

We next see her dive into a deep blue pool. But we hear no swimming, just silence for 32 seconds. Then Julie emerges from the water gasping for air.

As the scene ends, we still don’t know what Julie is up to. Will she seek revenge on Sandrine? Will she attempt to take her life again? Pick up and move once more? The movie has less than twenty minutes to go, but the suspense is building.