The Double Life of Veronique

Irène Jacob won Best Actress honours at Cannes in 1991 for her double role in The Double Life of Véronique, the haunting, seductive metaphysical fable that was Polish master Krzysztof Kieslowski’s feature follow-up to The Decalogue.

This film will also play as part of the Film Studies: Creating Colour series.

Two physically identical girls, living in Poland and France, are mysteriously linked in numerous respects. Each has a talent for music, each entertains doubts about her current lover, and each has a weak heart. And although they have never met, when Veronika collapses on stage during a recital, Véronique immediately feels that her life has changed in a profound way. Kieslowski may not proffer the lucid moral insights of his earlier Decalogue series, but it’s hard to imagine a more mesmerizing study of spiritual disquiet. If the story is simplicity itself, this is certainly not an easy film, but coherence is assured by Irène Jacob’s luminous performance, by Kieslowski’s effortless control of mood, and by his subtle use of repeated motifs…There’s no denying his compassion or ability to invest places, objects and passing moments with an almost numinous power

Geoff Andrew, Time Out

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