The Double Life of Veronique - Criterion Collection Reviews

• "Double Life," twice the beauty

  
  By A1D2C0WDCSHUWZ on 2004-02-29
  One of Krzysztof Kieslowski's finest films is "The Double Life of Veronique" ("La Double vie de Véronique"). It's not just a philosophical, arty film, but a subtle and unique tale full of Kieslowski's directorial magic, and gives Irène Jacob a chance to shine in her most challenging role.

  There are two women, the Polish Weronika and the French Veronique (both played by Irène Jacob). They have never met, never spoken, and do not know that the other exists. They share the same losses and the same health. Weronika is a singer, and Veronique is taking singing lessons. But their lives and souls are bound together, and their personalities are yin-yang opposites, one practical and one a stargazer.

  What is more, each has the strange feeling that she is, somehow, not alone in the world. One night, Weronika dies onstage while singing. Suddenly in France, Veronique is stricken with a strange feeling, and stops taking her lessons. Weronika has died, but she still lives. Soon she begins to explore, searching for the truth about her double life, and a strange puppeteer who somehow is a link between both girls.

  "Double Life of Veronique" is one of those rare films that just begs to be analyzed. Is it about being puppets in some enormous scheme of things? About fate? Sacrifice? Love? One woman's soul in two bodies? Political symbolism? Or is it simply about some mysterious dimension of the spiritual? The symbols and metaphors can be unwound any which way, and in the end they all work. Even the ending is ambiguous -- is it happy, or sad?

  Krzysztof Kieslowski's direction is impeccable. His use of light and shadow, and the atmospheric music, make "Double Life" practically a work of art. He dots "Double Life" with plenty of little hints about the inner states of the characters. The stars and leaves, for example, hint at the personalities of Weronika and Veronique -- one a dreamer, one down-to-earth. Kieslowski also used a minimalist approach to dialogue, often using pauses and silence that speak louder than the ordinary words.

  At times this film seems like a love letter on film to Irène Jacob. Not only is she followed constantly by the camera, but her character is difficult but rewarding. Jacob shines without really seeming to, with the emotion and wonder of a small child in an adult body. Philippe Volter's aura of mystery adds to his excellent acting in his too-brief scenes. Unfortunately, few of the other characters are given much dimension -- the whole focus is on Weronika and Veronique.

  This bewitching tale of love, loss, and interconnected souls winds a spell around this film. Interpret it as you will. Kieslowski's "Double Life of Veronique" is exquisite.
  
  

• Beautiful, but somewhat unaffecting

  
  By ABN5K7K1TM1QA on 2000-07-25
  Much of this is an adoration of French actress Irène Jacob byDirector Krzysztof Kieslowski; in a sense it is a homage to her, oneof 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 Irène 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. END
  
  

• Surreal and too beautiful. Don't miss it.

  
  By A229NTE27C98F8 on 2001-10-22
  Surreal and too beautiful.

  To say this is 'one of the most beautiful movies and Kieslowski is a genius' is stating the obvious. It is a dream and ... who else to dream about, other than the beautiful Irene Jacob!

  Irene herself is a dream in this movie as she portrays two gifted look-alike musicians, sharing the names Veronique (in France) and Weronika (in Poland). They share the same ill-health, destiny and sadness. And they share an unknown effect on each other's life, despite being worlds apart. The inexplicable depression that Veronique feels when Weronika dies while performing on a stage, makes you ponder 'whether in my life I too wasn't depressed for some or other inexplicable reasons?' 'Is there another I somewhere concerned about me?' 'Is that why I was sad during that time?' 'Is someone else sharing my sorrows being somewhere in this world?' 'Will I meet him/her sometime? Somewhere?' Yes, unanswerable questions, inexplicable feelings and surrealistic thoughts. That sums up this movie.

  There is an excellent sub-plot too, a puppet and its master. It is very symbolic and highly metaphorical. I still don't think I understood it properly. The music is haunting. Like the violin in "Un Couer en Hiver", Veronique's vocal music stikes chord with you. It is enchanting and sad at the same time. Close your eyes and you are drowned in dreams!

  Irene Jacob is dreamy and natural, aimless, sympathetic, gorgeous, child-like innocent and sexy at the same time. She definitely deserves all the awards for her stunning double role.

  'La double vie de Veronique' comes out with flying colours when compared with Kieslowski's much acclaimed colour trilogy (White, Blue and Red). Watch this movie seriously, you will enjoy it. Thank you Kieslowski!
  
  

• BEAUTIFUL AND HAUNTING

  
  By A84UFSF2SZS2W on 2001-06-10
  Irene Jacob stars in the dual role of Veronika, a Polish singer with a heart condition, and Veronique, a French puppeteer, who has some inexplicable connection this Polish version of herself. It is an interesting exploration of Veronique's life after Veronika dies, and of how Veronique feels a profound sense of loss at the death of her twin. This film was directed by Polish director Krzysztof Kieslowski just before he made his Bleu, Blanc, Rouge trilogy. While this film is a bit oblique and hard to follow at times, it is worthwhile for its dark and fascinating subject matter and the sensual treatment of the scenery and characters. Also notable is the gorgeous soundtrack by frequent Kieslowski collaborator Zbigniew Preisner.
  
  

• The Divided Self

  
  By A280GY5UVUS2QH on 2002-10-19
  I imagine this film is subtly autobiographical because the director is Polish and yet his films are all made in French. So the two Veroniques could quite possibly be the twin creative personas or muses of Kieslowski himself. The one Veronique is Polish and dies singing, the other lives on in France but with a sense of having missed the one important connection in her life. So the film feels like an allegory of lives or destinies unfulfilled and the most obvious destiny that was cut short was Poland's but this film does not make speeches, it whispers.
  As an artist living and creating in exile Kieslowski must himself have felt divided into two parts. Modern life feeling impersonal is a classic theme of the twentieth century yet the way Kieslowski tells it it does not feel at all cliched, rather he breathes new life and new understanding into what it means to live in the modern world. His allegory presents a very high vision of humanity which makes us all feel responsible and connected to each other in some way. But the appeal of the film is that it says everything in such an intimate way. Veronique is a film which becomes richer with each viewing. Kieslowski's films tap into a very new kind of place that has no language barriers. His films return to a purity that is almost silent. A universality is present in his art that is quite breathtaking.
  
  
• Stunning and haunting movie!
  By A3M3FG82ZE1J8I on 2000-07-14
  The Double Life of Veronique is an absolutely stunning film. The director, whose work includes Decalogue and the superb Three Colors Trilogy (Blue, White, and Red), displays a confident tone in his deliberate pacing and the subtle way in which he establishes the mood of this picture. In Irene Jacob (also the star of Red), he finds the perfect leading lady, who has an innocent yet mysterious and beautiful aura which works so well with the tone of this film.

  There isn't really a plotline in this movie, but in general, it concerns the lives of two women (Veronique and Veronikka, both played by Irene Jacob) born on the same day but in different countries. Though they lead separate lives, there are parallels drawn in their existence, and their paths cross ever so briefly as the story of one woman dissolves into the story of the second. There is a distinct dreamlike quality to this film, and certainly, mood rather than narrative is the dominant driving force to the film.

  Most Americans will consider this film to be a typical European "art house" film. If that is not your cup of tea, then you probably will not like this film, for it is decidedly a non-Hollywood production. Don't even bother trying to compare this film with the recent and remarkably inferior Demi Moore Hollywood film about two similar women living on separate continents; the films are nothing alike. "La double vie de veronique" is an excellent film for those who admire director Kieslowski's films or who have the patience to try something different and enlightening.
  
  

• 5 stars is not enough...
  By on 2000-06-30
  There is so much to see, to hear and to understand in this movie. It truely is one of the most gorgeous and intelligent works of the last few decades. However, I am shocked and surprised to see that none of the reviewers understood (or mentionned at least) one of the most defining themes of this film. This is not only the story of two women who share a soul and share a destiny, but in parralel, it is the story of Europe divided. Two Veroniques, one in France, one in Poland. Both separated not only by destiny, but by two political and social systems, by the burden of XXth century European history. Remember this film was made in the late 80's early 90's when the world was changing rapidly in Europe, when the two side where getting to know each other once more. Veronique in Poland, suffering from her poor health, was like Eastern Europe suffering under the oppression and limitations of the communist regimes. Veronique in France discovering she had a part of herself in Poland, was like Western Europe taking consicence of the fact that Europe could not be Europe without its other side behind the Iron curtain. There is so much symbolism in this movie that points towards a larger, more universal and maybe even political message. Another thing that makes this movie so memorable and moving is the absolutely magnificient soundtrack. Rarely has film music acheived such perfection.
  
  
• provoking, haunting, surreal
  By A229NTE27C98F8 on 2001-10-19
  Don't miss this.

  To say this is 'one of the most beautiful movies and Kieslowski is a genius' is stating the obvious. It is a dream and ... who else to dream about, other than the beautiful Irene Jacob!

  Irene herself is a dream in this movie as she portrays two gifted look-alike musicians, sharing the names Veronique (in France) and Weronika (in Poland). They share the same ill-health, destiny and sadness. And they share an unknown effect on each other's life, despite being worlds apart. The inexplicable depression that Veronique feels when Weronika dies while performing on a stage, makes you ponder 'whether in my life I too wasn't depressed for some or other inexplicable reasons?' 'Is there another I somewhere concerned about me?' 'Is that why I was sad during that time?' 'Is someone else sharing my sorrows being somewhere in this world?' 'Will I meet him/her sometime? Somewhere?' Yes, unanswerable questions, inexplicable feelings and surrealistic life. That sums up this movie.

  There is an excellent sub-plot too, a puppet and its master. It is very symbolic and highly metaphorical. I still don't think I understood it properly. The music is haunting. Like the violin in "Un Couer en Hiver", Veronique's vocal music stikes chord with you. It is enchanting and sad at the same time. Close your eyes and you are in dreams!

  Irene Jacob is dreamy and natural, aimless, sympathetic, gorgeous, child-like innocent and sexy at the same time. She definitely deserves all the awards for her stunning double role.

  'La double vie de Veronique' comes out with flying colours when compared with Kieslowski's much acclaimed colour trilogy (White, Blue and Red). Watch this movie seriously, you will enjoy it. Thank you Kieslowski!
  
  

• Veronique - a work of great beauty and mystery
  By AFT2WN7VQZTL9 on 2003-09-22
  .
  Perhaps there is a double life in each of us. The life we lead and the life we might have led.

  In this superbly crafted film the late director Kielowski poses a series of questions about why we became who we are.

  it seems that ultimately we are creatures subject to the vagaries of fate, destiny and random chance.

  Irene Jacob is simply superb in the dual-role lead.

  Director Kielowski was at his probing, questioning best as he mapped out this journey that compels us until the very end.

  "La Double Vie de Veronique"is a film more about suggestion than substance.

  Like life itself, it hints at mysteries for which there are no answers.

  "La Double Vie de Veronique" is art of a high order.

  FIVE STARS for the sheer beauty and mystery of it.
  
  

• absolutely beautiful, tipically europian movie
  By on 1999-09-30
  This movie is one of my all times favorites. I have never seen the movie which offers such a powerful and sad music which is important part of the plot. Irene Jacob is unforgettable playing Veronika and Veronique, two different characters who happen to look exactly alike, yet unaware of each other existence. She very vell deserved the Best Actress award at Cannes Film Festival. I will never forget the first time I was watching the movie. I saw it on "Bravo" channel on TV. I did know anything about it and I missed first 15-20 minutes. But when I saw Jacob's face, I realized I did not want to switch the channels. I wanted to look at her and listen to the music and find out what the mystery was behind the images. When the Polish twin, Veronika, died, I could not help crying. The fictional story touched my very soul. We may not realize it, but we are all connected in some ways and there is somebody out there exactly like us. When we feel depressed and sad, maybe it is because our unknown twin is in pain and dispaire. But we do not know that and can not help or do something. In my opinion, this movie is even better than the "Blue - White -Red" trilogy. Thank You, Mr. Kieslowski. You will be always remembered for this movie.
  
  
• Mystical, Magical, Sexual, Alluring, The Kind Of Story Few Americans Could Make
  By A28WJUJF6D2ULA on 2006-10-03
  This, Krzysztof Kieslowski's greatest film, is the sort of story that approaches a part of the mind few people ever utilize. Set in both Krakow, Poland during the fall of Communism, and France during the same period, The Two Lives of Veronica concerns a pair of young women, played with total perfection by the beautiful Irène Jacob, who, though all intents and purposes it can be said never meet, were born on the same night, lost their mothers at the same age, were raised to young adulthood by their fathers, and who are all-but identical to one another in appearance. Weronika, the carefree Polish woman, is a gifted singer. Véronique, Weronika's moody French "doppelganger" teaches music at a public school. Where Weronika is outgoing and happy, Véronique is deeper, quieter, more pensive.
  
  We begin the first third of the film with the story mostly centered around Weronika's life in Poland, where she has recently moved from a small town into Krakow, away from her father. She is fond of an aunt there, a woman who reads Tarot cards for her niece and foretells that which she says is to come in her future. "All the women in our family die suddenly," she tells Weronika,. "Your mother died suddenly, I will die suddenly, and so shall you." Weronika is too young and joyous to think of such a thing and only wishes to know about love. She has a boyfriend, a black leather jacketed rebel whose anti-Communist and pro-western views are symbolized by his reverence for the motorcycle we see him riding in most of the scenes. Weronika makes love to the young man while standing in a doorway in the rain, something she, raised in a pastoral region, would never have had the courage to do before her move to the city, and she feels at that instant that all is perfection. Beautiful, heedless, aglow with the way her life is unfolding, Weronika is envied for the sheer joy she feels. She also possesses a lovely voice, and while untrained, her raw talent is soon recognized by the directors of a local symphony. Given the chance to premiere a musical work re-discovered after several centuries in obscurity, Weronika is thrilled. She steps onto the stage on opening night, and begins her performance.
  
  Meanwhile, at that precise instant in France, Véronique feels herself suddenly emotionally overcome. It is as if in one moment of immense feeling she has suddenly lost possession of her own being. Confused, she goes thru her life during the weeks that follow merely undertaking the motions of normality. She teaches school, she takes her students to see a wondrously artistic puppet show, and she sleeps with several men. Still feeling herself lost, cut off from who she'd always thought herself to be, she even agrees to help a friend by making a ruinously cruel accusation against a man she does not even know. Puzzled by her own conduct, Véronique is finally led to the pinnacle of harsh understanding by a strange, remotely threatening figure of a man who comes to be in her life, almost against her wishes. The revelation of the reason for her state---which we already knew---comes as little relief to Véronique, and while she comprehends that she has spent her entire life as part of a unique miracle of bi-location, there is little consolation to it all.
  
  The things one sees and feels in this film, from masterful location shots, to sudden shocks of plot development, to the scene with the beautiful puppet show, all these are so distinctly, unhurriedly European that I'm convinced no American could have made this film in exactly this way. The score Zbigniew Preisner composed for this wonderful film is unforgettable, as well. Above all else the vibrant performance Irène Jacob grants in playing two greatly different women is the best of her career. This touching motion picture strikes deep into the human spirit.
  
  
• Kieslowski's masterful precursor to Three Colours
  By A1JNXXJBUP0Z4K on 1999-04-12
  Before Kieslowski began his brilliant last series of films (Blue, White and Red), he offered us the luminous Irene Jacob in The Double Life of Veronique. Jacob plays two different characters who happen to look exactly alike, yet are unaware that either exists. When one of the twins dies, the other is plunged into an unexplainable depression -- a feeling that part of her life has ended. Only later, in a photograph, does she realize that she accidentally met her "twin". Like the Three Colours series, Kieslowski fills the story with chance meetings and meditations on life and how we live it. Kieslowski was working at the top of his form with the film and the Three Colours. His untimely death means we will never see anything new, but we have this brilliant work to remember him by. Brave Kieslowski.
  
  
• Masterpiece of what it means to be YOU
  By on 1999-11-04
  The late Kieslowski is a major loss to the world of cinema. In "Double Life" he uses (as usual) extraordinarily well-integrated visuals, music, and sound effects (including the musicality of the actors' voices). His theme, I believe, is that all of us are leading double lives: one the outer facade we present to everyone (even lovers) and the inner facade one presents to oneself, which a person may not even realize is a facade. This film is simple on the surface and very complex underneath. Absolutely a must see!
  
  
• Absolutely amazing film!
  By on 1999-04-27
  This is probably my all time favourite film. A subtle and absorbing work of art that will appeal to only those who appreciate infinity. Irene Jacob is breathtaking. Every shot is glowing and gorgeous. The film aches with mystery and questions and love and longing. I agree with those who have said that certain elements are indescribable and that this film is an experience for the soul. It is my favourite Kieslowski film for sure, and I recommend it highly to anyone who hasn't seen it. It will lift you!!
  
  
• Unforgettable
  By A21BM3GQ1ROZO5 on 2004-01-22
  Some movies inexplicably stick to your mind and make you return to them over and over again. Just like "Unbearable lightness of being" this movie posses that quality. Nothing much happens in it. But little that does touches you in a very personal and emotional way. Beautiful, quiet masterpiece of a brilliant director. Definate must see for anyone who likes European cinema.
  Red, White and Blue are also wonderful movies by the same director.
  
  
• The dream like movie of Krzysztof Kieslowski
  By A2QNFOQWF1EFKO on 2006-09-16
  A woman is griped by a sudden sense of sadness. She is grieving but she is not sure why or for what. The feeling that something has gone missing in the world haunts her.
  
  Such is the start of the movie "The Double Life of Veronique".
  
  An odd chance encounter with a children's book author and a puppeteer helps Veronique to get insights into her condition and feelings. The puppeteer thinks he is making up yet another one of his stories, but unbeknown to him he is helping Veronique unlock the secrets of her existence.
  
  
  I found the movie "Double Life" the most dream like and the most mystical of all Kieslowski's movies that I had seen. In fact it isn't a movie, I would call it visual poetry. Since the plot and story are only a pretext to engage you on a subconscious level. The movie is starring actress Irene Jacobe and in the movie she is beautiful, child like in her innocence and passion for life. Yet a grown woman in her physical appearance. In the movie we get to see her in various states of dress and undress. As I watched the movie I had the feeling as if Kieslowski was in love with Irene Jacobe and he made the movie so that he could make love to her with his camera. The movie is erotic to the extreme, yet lovely and innocent in a way I can't explain.
  
  I am not going to tell you the ending, but the only thing I will say is that only Kieslowski could make a movie that has a tragically sad and immensely happy ending all at once.
  
  There were a couple of elements I didn't understand in the movie. I am sure they are in there for a reason, but I simply haven't been able to place them. The whole subplot where Veronique agrees to testify in court that she slept with her friend's ex ... what was that about? The other thing I didn't understand was the symbolism of Veronique rubbing a ring against her eye lashes.
  
  I feel like I need to go see the movie again to fully understand it.
  
  
  
• La double vie de Véronique
  By on 2000-01-15
  One of the best! The music is sublime, the acting profoundly touching and the story is magical in its sadness and beauty. The entire mood of the film is captivating. Kieslowski is a genius and his art is still around to tell the story. If you loved this film you must see the work of another genius: Nikita Mikalkov`s "les yeux noirs", (Dark eyes)
  
  
• Criterion scores again with an amazing special edition!
  By A21B2TJBWCSK1R on 2006-11-30
  When The Double Life of Veronique was screened at the Cannes Film Festival it not only brought international acclaim and attention to its director Krzysztof Kieslowski but also to the film's star, Irene Jacob. At the time, the 24-year-old Swiss actress was virtually unknown but she would go on to even greater acclaim when she teamed up with Kieslowski again on Red, the final film in his Three Colours trilogy.
  Criterion has gone all out with this edition managing to improve the already impressive MK2 region 2 release. There is a 64-page booklet that features an excellent collection of essays pertaining to the movie.
  
  The first disc features an audio commentary by Kieslowski biographer Annette Insdorf. She points out that Kieslowski got his start making documentaries and that The Double Life of Veronique saw him moving into a "deeply poetic brand of cinematic storytelling." Insdorf, who contributed commentaries for Kieslowski's Three Colours trilogy, delivers a thoughtful track with excellent insight and analysis that is very accessible.
  
  Also included are three short documentaries that Kieslowski made - Factory (1970), Hospital (1976) and Railway (1980) along with The Musicians (1958) made by Kazimierz Karabasz, a great influence on the Polish director. These are interesting glimpses at Kieslowski's progression as a filmmaker.
  
  There is also "The U.S. Ending." Miramax distributed the film in North America and its head, Harvey Weinstein, asked Kieslowski to make it less ambiguous. Included is this additional footage that provides a neater resolution.
  
  The second disc starts off with "Kieslowski - Dialogue," a 1991 documentary on the making of The Double Life of Veronique. There is lots of fantastic on-the-set footage of the man at work directing his actors. This documentary provides fascinating insight into the film and the filmmaker.
  
  "1966-1988: Kieslowski, Polish Filmmaker" is a 2005 documentary that takes a look at his work in Poland. It traces his development as a filmmaker through the 1960s to the 1980s making short films, documentaries and feature films.
  
  "Slawomir Idziak" is an interview with the film's cinematographer. Idziak mentions that many of Kieslowski's collaborators weren't thrilled with Jacob's screen tests but when his daughter and her friends loved what they saw, the director realized he was making a movie for young people and that he had found the right person for the role.
  
  Also included is an interview with long-time Kieslowski composer Zbigniew Preisner. He praises the director for being the down-to-earth type and talks about the challenges of being a composer in Poland.
  
  Finally, there is a wonderful interview with Irene Jacob. She talks about the first Kieslowski film she saw and the first time she met him. It was an audition for The Double Life of Veronique and he asked her to improvise. It lasted all afternoon and she was thrilled just to work with him for that day. Two weeks later, he interviewed her and she got the part. Jacob speaks eloquently about working on the film, her technique and her experience with Kieslowski.
  
  
• Nice but Over-rated
  By A2VMVTDYQDA6L8 on 2007-04-12
  There are several things that previous reviewers here have written that are on target as far as the "artsy" nature of the film the nature of the interaction between director and actress, the actress herself, and so on. I can't add anything to that. What I can say is that it was this type of commentary that induced us to purchase and watch the film and, while it was interesting, at the end I felt that the alleged messages of the film could have been conveyed more effectively and efficiently and I could have spent my time better reading a book.
  
  My husband is a Polish scientist and we live in France, so we have a certain perspective that embraces both worlds. He wanted to watch this one out of a sense of national solidarity, but his solidarity began to crack about 20 minutes into the film. Like me, he could think of many other things he would rather be doing than watching a Polish director "make love" vicariously to a French actress with a camera.
  
  In short, if you like arty movies that focus on a single character with amorphous plot and dialog designed to produce a sensation of mild confusion, go for it; you won't be disappointed.
  
  
• A Darkly Incandescent, Hauntingly Beautiful Film
  By A2PIANWKX9KT76 on 1999-09-25
  I have yet to make good rational sense of this film, yet I can't get it out of my mind. Priesner's soundtrack is eerily soulful and unforgettable. Irene Jacob is the most sensual angel I can imagine. This is one for the archives!
  
  
• EXPLORATION OF MYSTERIOUS SENSIBILITIES & PRESENTIMENTS
  By ADFLZL0YCL7C0 on 2001-09-20
  "The Double Life of Veronique" [1991: Krzysztof Kieslowski, Director; starring Irene Jacob, Best Actress Award, Cannes Film Festival 1991] is a metaphorically rich and haunting drama. This beautifully filmed story parallels two musically gifted young women [both played by Irene Jacob] with the same first name [Weronika [Polish] / Veronique [French]], mirror images of each other, born on the exact same date in different countries [Poland/France], suffering from like physical frailties, with similar possessions/character traits, who are total strangers whose paths cross briefly only once. Yet each senses the presence of an "unknown other", an overwhelming impression of "not being alone in the world". The subtle affect that these women have on each others' lives - unknowingly and at a distance -- is hauntingly reinforced by the "dreamlike" cinematic attributes of the film. The premise of "The Double Life of Veronique" is that there are undeniable, irrepressible, conscious and subconscious connections and intersecting forces in life that impact us all - transcending and defying distance, time, culture and conventional reason.

  There are concentric subplots that emanate from this central story involving various lovers [one is an accomplished, but manipulative puppeteer who creates 2 more "Veroniques" in the form of marionettes], significant emotional events that turn the course of lives and causing individual stories to dissolve/meld into others, strong parental bonds and familial grounding, the power of music/art as a life catalyst.

  The gold light that permeates this film, occasional blurred imagery of memory flashbacks and the sequences with the "mariposas de luz" [flickering butterflies of light from mirror reflections] truly conjure a dream-state aura that at times borders on the supernatural. The various symbolic threads in the film [death/renaissance, kaleidoscopic perspectives on life, the two young women as political emblems of the European community, the poetic symbolism of a ballerina puppet who transforms into a butterfly, etc.] rock the collective unconscious of the viewer - allowing the imagination to wander. The musical backdrop for the film serves as a leitmotif that links both the Polish and French sequences with an indomitable spirit and awe. "The Double Life of Veronique" pre-dates Kieslowski's Red, White and Blue Trilogy [1994] - and could easily be re-titled "Gold" in the director's creative alchemical spectrum of films.

  In interviews, Kieslowski revealed that he created different endings for the film for different cultural audiences - further reinforcing the "multiple" dimensions of his concept. I found the film to be sensorially and thematically stunning - and the acting superb. If you don't mind reading subtitles, or already understand Polish and/or French, appreciate this type of out-of-the mainstream, esoteric genre, and don't have the compulsive need to have every question explicitly resolved - I highly recommend this film.
  
  

• masterpiece.
  By ABL3T87NOSJNU on 2003-05-02
  For me story has also an additional aspect of a fulfilled artist. Weronika, in spite of her heart's condition, chooses to sing her life out. Dying on stage could be as heroic as dying in a battle. Veronique warned by death of her soul-twin, ceases her singing career. Veronique lives, but is she ever going to be happy again?
  As all Kieslowski's movies, this one has also thousands of nuances that speak differently to each person. Watch it to find your own.
  
  
• Exquisite!
  By ASAJYJAHUJO54 on 2006-02-07
  This movie depicts the mysterious relationship and fate of two women, Weronika and Veronique. They are born on the same day, and have same appearance and talent. They have never met each other, but have sensed the existence of the other. In Poland, talented Weronika get a chance to be a singer. However, she suddenly dies on the stage during a concert. At that time in France, Veronique, who aspires to be a singer, feels something strange and decides to give up singing. After Veronique become a music teacher, she meets the mysterious puppeteer, who is the key person to find out the truth. When they gather the clues, they realize the shocking truth!
  Director Kieslowski is good at describing two things at the same time. He effectively uses silence, unique behavior, metaphor, minimum speech, and beautiful classical music. These techniques contribute to give something abstract and philosophical impression. Irene Jacob played both Weronika and Veronique and won the best actress of the Cannes film festival in 1991. This is Kieslowski's masterpiece. If you like artistic movie, French movie, Irene Jacob, Kieslowski, you must see it.
  
  
  
  
• Magnificent..Magnifique..Brilliante'
  By A3UWIEJAXJA6YQ on 2001-12-23
  I can not hope to match the elequent words and descriptive nature and which they were spoken in the previous reviews. Nor will I attempt. After all why try to re-invent the wheel. If you like Romance, surreal enviroment, back-ground music that is always lingering, and touching your nerves, even without you knowing why.... then this is a movie to be OWNED.

  You need to view this movie several times, to gain the expierience of what Kowalski has done for us here.

  Its enchanting, and thoughoughly enjoyable. A must see.
  
  

• Hypnotic beauty, and what else?
  By A3GN4RYM2CHWK8 on 2007-01-18
  "Double life" is a supremely well photographed and designed film, with a georgeous actress, not quite of this world, who sticks in the attention of the camera like a blood clot in the narrows of an artery. The rave reviews certainly indicate that the film speaks to many, especially folks who feel there is something magical and wonderous out there that we glimpse in our dreams and play with in our imaginations, something that repays our attentions with tingles of intuition from time to time.
  
  For those of us who are empiricists, however, the film may be less appealing. To us hard-nosers, the characters are phantoms, ideals, and destractions that teach little about what life on earth is truly about. We remember the tingles that coincidentally approximate future events and forget the vast majority of them that prove false. This is human nature, and to the extent that this is a part of our psyches, "Double Life" may prove absorbing.
  
  What I'm trying to say, somewhat gently, is this film isn't for everyone. Some, like myself, will admire the stunning photography and color of the DVD version, ogle Ms. Jacob, enjoy the beautiful but truncated music, laugh at the fantasy of the plot, cringe at yet another exercise of a director in love with his leading lady, grant that some may batten on fairy dust, but in the end ask, "Where's the beef?"
  
  
• Interweaving threads.
  By A1ORMINOCZ051E on 2006-01-12
  The threads of luck, fate, music, and a sense of something eternal haunt each frame in Kieslowski's breakthrough classic. The two women(both played by Irene Jacob) inhabit a connected universe of space, thematic ideas and time . . . yet never really connect. The musical score is haunting . . . and hammers down the theme of conditional existance . . . that maybe the same person could inhabit two different places at the same time(The double Life), or different times(the judge in Red), or the same person in multiple universes(blind chance). This deja vu dreamscape vision is the backdrop for so many Kieslowski films, yet unlike my heavyhanded critique here, Kieslowski never pounds the theme over our heads. He never lectures us. He tells a great story, yet with mystery . . . drawing us in, turning the lens metaphorically at ourselves. Sometimes we like what we see. Sometimes not. But Kieslowski never insults us . . . never bores us.
  
  
• An excellent Kieslowski film
  By AI0OAQ6E2O8VF on 2007-01-17
  This review is for the Criterion Collection DVD edition of the film.
  
  "The Double Life of Veronique" was released in France and Poland as "La Double vie de Véronique" and "Podwójne ycie Weroniki" respectively.
  
  It is the story of two women, one French and one Polish who never meet (except for briefly seeing each other through a bus window) but whose are remarkably similar. They look exactly the same, have nearly the same name, and similar personalities.
  
  The film has a beautiful musical score too and it as a plot element also.
  
  There are a large number of special features also in this double disc set.
  
  Disc one contains the film with optional audio commentary by Kieslowski biographer, Annette Insdorf, n alternate US ending, Three of Kieslowski's documentary films: Factory, Hospital, and Railway Station. Also included is a film by Kieslowski's teacher, Kazimierz Karabasz, titled "The Musicians"
  
  Disc two contains a 1991 documentary about Kieslowski with interviews and behind the scenes footage of the feature film, a 2005 documentary about Kieslowski, a 2005 interview with lead actress Irène Jacob, and new interviews with cinematographer Slawomir Idziak, and the film's composer Zbigniew Preisner. Also included is a booklet with additional material
  
  
• Please do see this movie.
  By A198WPQWQUY6D1 on 2007-02-10
  I saw this movie after falling in absolutely in love with Kiezlowski's Bleu and Rogue. I think 'La Double Vie de Veronique' is simply the most mysterious, beautiful, and affecting movie I've ever seen. Irene Jacob is deep, charming, mesmerizing, and amazingly human in her two roles as Weronika and Veronique. The emotions she was able to show and hide simply made me want to keep watching her intently. The non-traditional plotline reflect life in a surreal and beautiful way. Cinematography, sets, ambience, music...everything about this movie speaks beauty and humanity. Please, please do see it!
  
  
• A mysterious, lyrical movie that can't be captured in words.
  By on 1999-04-20
  "La Double Vie ... " is a wonderful movie with great music, mysterious resonances, and a lyrical feel that cannot be described in words. It is more about emotional phases in the viewer's reaction to the film than the plot, character, or setting of the movie itself. It fires off my neurons! I cannot describe this movie; you must see it.
  
  
• I would give it 10 perfect stars.
  By on 1999-08-27
  This is for those who are looking for something more in films
  
  

• Three Colors Trilogy (Blue / White / Red)
• The Conformist (Extended Edition)
• The Decalogue (Special Edition Complete Set)
• Pandora's Box - Criterion Collection
• Army of Shadows - Criterion Collection