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The Double Life of Véronique
La Double Vie de Véronique
1991 · Film · 98 min
Directed by Krzysztof Kieślowski
Véronique is a beautiful young French woman who aspires to be a renowned singer; Weronika lives in Poland, has a similar career goal and looks identical to Véronique, though the two are not related. The film follows both women as they contend with the ups and downs of their individual lives, with Véronique embarking on an unusual romance with Alexandre Fabbri, a puppeteer who may be able to help her with her existential issues.
5 positive1 mixedfrom 6 commenters
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9 comments on Hacker News
My god I did not get the double life of Veronique at all. She was sleeping for 50% of the film, and random other stuff happened for the rest. However, it's worth it just for Preisner's score, SBI 152 is a masterpiece.
Some that I've enjoyed recently (or rewatched):
Good One (2024) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt30319516/
Strange Darling (2023) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt22375054/
The Creator (2023) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11858890/
The Night House (2020) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9731534/
The Empty Man (2020) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5867314/
Possessor (2020) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5918982/
Booksmart (2019) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1489887/
Volition (2019) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6385952/
Welcome the Stranger (2018) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5716280/
Time Trap (2018) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4815122/
Wind River (2017) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5362988/
A Dark Song (2016) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4805316/
I Am Not a Serial Killer (2016) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4303340/
Midnight Special (2016) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2649554/
The Devil's Candy (2015) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4935372/
Mr. Holmes (2015) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3168230/
The Witch (2015) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4263482/
A Most Wanted Man (2014) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1972571/
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1340800/
Tucker and Dale vs Evil (2010) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1465522/
Pandorum (2009) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1188729/
The Fall (2006) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0460791/
In a Savage Land (1999) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0151047/
Office Space (1999) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0151804/
The Double Life of Véronique (1991) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0101765/
Don't have Netflix so not sure what's available there, and several might not be wife-friendly. Also I enjoy weird, so YMMV.
TL;DR: Rewatching this trilogy is a cultural inception.
Krzysztof Kieślowski's Three Colours trilogy (French: Trois couleurs, Polish: Trzy kolory)
- Three Colours: Blue (1993)
- Three Colours: White (1994)
- Three Colours: Red (1994)
. . .
Rewatching the Three Colours trilogy rewards with an ever deeper appreciation — Kieślowski's nuanced storytelling, interconnected narratives, and recurring symbols become more apparent and meaningful, with each viewing revealing new layers of meaning in the films' themes of liberty, equality, and fraternity, explored through irony and ambiguity.
Rewatching allows for a greater appreciation of how music, color, and composition work together to evoke specific emotions and convey complex ideas, enabling a richer understanding of their cultural context and how Kieślowski subtly critiques and plays with the political ideals of the French Republic.
Kieślowski's work is rich with subtle connections between characters and storylines across the trilogy. For instance, the brief appearances of characters from other films, like Karol's courtroom scene in Blue, create a cohesive narrative universe that rewards attentive viewers. These cross-film connections highlight the director's meticulous planning and the philosophical underpinnings that run through the trilogy.
Each film’s unique perspective on its respective theme – Blue as an anti-tragedy, White as an anti-comedy, and Red as an anti-romance – allows for various interpretations, making the trilogy an ideal subject for repeated viewings. Several rewatchings let viewers see beyond the surface narrative and explore the deeper existential questions Kieślowski poses about human connections, fate, and the meaning of freedom, equality, and fraternity.
In my experience, few film series reward multiple viewings as richly as Kieślowski's Three Colours trilogy. It's so layered that every rewatch feels like a new conversation with a brilliant, nuanced filmmaker -- a cultural inception.
. . .
If you enjoy the director, see also La double vie de Véronique (English: The Double Life of Veronique, Polish: Podwójne życie Weroniki) exploring themes of identity, love, and human intuition, through the lives of a Polish singer and French music teacher who are "doubles".
Of course, the connection Kieślowski explores is not just about the modern relationship between these countries, steeped in centuries of shared history and cultural exchange, but even more how European nations, despite their "alternate timelines" through history, share common human experiences and values today.
Despite Gattaca being one of my favorite movies for years I only recently learned, right here on HN, that the cinematographer is Sławomir Idziak, frequent collaborator of Krzysztof Kieślowski, which explains why Gattaca looks so much like one of my other favorites, The Double Life of Veronique.
> create a minimalist future environment that still looks beautiful 25 years later.
See also: Dark City
> Gattaca’s cinematographer Slawomir Idziak worked with famous director Krzystof Kieslowski and shot some of his most striking films.
Oh wow that’s so obvious now thinking about Gattaca and say The Double Life of Veronique. Thank you for that tidbit.
It took Adjani years to recover from the emotional toll of that movie. If you’re ever thinking of watching a Gaper Noé film, don’t waste your time on that poser hack. Watch Possession instead. That subway tunnel scene… sheesh.
Oh man, there’s a new 4K restoration. I don’t know if I can handle a second watch.
The Polish film I’d recommend is Kieślowski‘s The Double Life of Veronique.
"A Short Film about Killing" is absolutely devastating. It exists in 2 forms: a shortened version that is one part of Kieślowski's 10-part Television series "Dekalog" and a longer standalone version.
I would also add the masterpieces he is most known for: "The Double Life of Veronique" and the trilogy, "Red", "White", and "Blue". Of these "White" is the most accessible, it stars a very young and luminous Julie Deply.
https://www.criterionchannel.com/videos/a-short-film-about-killing-trailer https://www.criterionchannel.com/videos/three-colors-white-trailer
Not op but I'll throw in some that I've really enjoyed and that made me go "hmmmm", roughly ordered by year
The Double Life of Véronique (1991) https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/1600-la-double-vie-de-v-ronique
Strange Days (1995) https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/281-strange-days
Upstream Color (2013) https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/145197-upstream-color
Under the Skin (2013) https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/97370-under-the-skin
The One I Love (2014) https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/242090-the-one-i-love
Welcome the Stranger (2018) https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/413852-welcome-the-stranger
Segfault (2018) (the less you know the better) https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/463594-segfault
Possessor (2020) https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/435615-possessor
There is a good foreign film about a doppelganger called "The Double Life of Véronique" by the great European director Krzysztof Kieślowski. It's one of the few times I've watched a foreign movie more than once.