Red is the third part of Polish filmmaker Krzysztof Kieślowski’s Three Colors trilogy, completed in 1994. From its outset, the film explores the connections between a whole net of characters, but the story focuses on two in particular: Valentin, a university student, and Kern, a retired judge. Spiraling outward from these two, Red examines the closeness and the separation between all human beings, as well as the spaces and barriers that fill our lives. At turns unsettling, at others achingly sad, the film also deftly adds comic moments that feel perfectly at home. This is a profoundly humanist film that works due to its soulful score, its stunning cinematography, and its authentic, searching performances. Due to his untimely death just two years later, Red would become Kieślowski’s last film–but luckily, it serves as a truly triumphant final achievement.
This review originally appeared in the Austin School of Film’s recommendations blog, MIX/VHS. Check out the full post here, which includes reviews of (500) Days of Summer and her.