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Pick of
the indies
The Double Life Of Veronique
(Renoir)
AT first, the story of two women who look alike and yet who
are very different may seem a kind of cunning conceit.
But the luminous Irene Jacob virtually made her name playing
this double role of Veronika and Veronique in this classic soul-seeking
drama by Polish director Kristof Kieslowski. Here, we are treated
to an intriguing game of doppelgangers – one beautiful
Polish singer and one French music teacher, both of whom look
identical to each other but whom haven’t yet met.
And yet the two women feel drawn to each other in a deep and
meaningful way although it seems impossible to believe.
The suspension of disbelief is beautifully handled by Kieslowki
as he chooses to begin the women’s conjoined lives with
the Pole, who wakes up one night believing she is not alone.
Soon, she faints onstage and this brings about a rise in consciousness
on her part. The other woman’s awareness is brought about
in a different way.
She begins to receive gifts from an unknown lover but that too
becomes something unexpected and turns into a revelation that
she couldn’t possibly anticipate.
The beauty of The Double Life of Veronique is not only its charming
and enigmatic leading lady who tackles both roles with perfect
balance.
The story also demands we take a role in it: we must take a
side. Unlike most films which require us to be merely passive
audience members. |
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