I absolutely love the director Krzysztof Kieslowski.  On vacation, we found the Decalogue on DVD at Borders.  We bought it immediately because we were afraid we'd never be able to rent it.  For me,   Kieslowski is heartwarming and vibrant.

All three movies of the Trois Couleurs Trilogy are amazing.  Anything I say is going to pale in comparison to his movies and his critics.  Every word, every image, every color is thoughtfully chosen and used to it's best effect.

The movies correspond to the colors of the French flag (Blue White Red) and their meanings (Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity). I noticed a lot of the color and meaning themes, but we just watched the commentary for Rouge by Annette Isendorf* and I missed half of them.

Here's a quote from Stanley Kubrick from Kieslowski's wikipedia entry:

"I am always reluctant to single out some particular feature of the work of a major filmmaker because it tends inevitably to simplify and reduce the work. But in this book of screenplays by Krzysztof Kieslowski and his co-author, Krzysztof Piesiewicz, it should not be out of place to observe that they have the very rare ability to dramatize their ideas rather than just talking about them. By making their points through the dramatic action of the story they gain the added power of allowing the audience to discover what's really going on rather than being told. They do this with such dazzling skill, you never see the ideas coming and don't realize until much later how profoundly they have reached your heart."

As a crusty cynic, Kieslowski's movies make me feel like a fresh-faced optimist.  And I like it.

* Annette Insendorf's voice is so soothing an wonderful.  I'd totally be able to sleep like a baby listening to her speak.  She sounds a lot like Patricia Clarkson.

[photo taken 1/10/2006 in Philadelphia]