My favorite Kieslowski. Considered inferior to his color trilogy by most who find the twin-like aspects to of Double Life to be too surreal and unreal, I've never had a problem with the premis. Two women born in different countries, at the same time, under the same star, with similar talents and flaws. They are so similar in fact, that the young Polish Veronika is an Opera star, and her existential equivalent in France, Veronique, is a high school music teacher and singer. Both have a troubled heart, but during her emotional singing Veronika goes too far. We're left to follow Veronique, who has always had a sense she is not alone in this world, despite her quite mundane daily habits. She's suddenly imbued with Veronikas spirit and goes on a random (for her) chase to meet a marioettist whom she is struck by.

Kieslowski works in a very cyclical style. Almost all his movies end where they began, though the narrative is not strictly a circle. He uses that same haunting affect of having already been somewhere, and already have experienced something, and this time doubles the game by questioning if one woman may have done it while the other had not. Veronika's sexual adventurer rears in the more restrained Veronique, and the young French woman becomes more passionate and emotional at each step of her journey.

Nothing crazy happens. In fact, the exterior events of Veronique's life are quite common, yet somehow Kieslowski imbues them with raw emotion, sensuality, and gripping beauty.

Preisner's soundtrack is, as usual, the perfect haunting compliment, and Irene Jacob is even more amazing in the double lead than she was working in the color trilogy.

Look for the captivating scene where the two women are in the same square and almost encounter eachother.

A+

It's shot beatifully and I really did like the first 30 minutes, the film was going places. But when it switches to the other Veronique the movie just dies. It reminded me of Amelie actually, especially the subplot with the marionette man. Except this one was without the funny or attachable characters, much slower, and much less engaging overall. I also didn't buy into into their conversations or the believability of that situation. Both the meet-up and the lines seemed put-on. The whole storyline didn't really work for me at all.

Unfortunatley that storyline is what the movie consists of, so I can't latch onto anything else. In an already short film there seemed to be too many scenes that just added nothing to the movie, scenes of Veronique just doing random everyday things. Regardless of whether it was on purpose or not, her life is an ordinary girl's one and I wasn't as intrigued in what she was doing as I should've been. The double twist is an ... interesting idea. I don't think I took anything away from it other than a "that's... interesting", but anyways.

Irene Jacobs is fine. Mostly good to look at, but her reactions are solid too. Audrey Tautou was much better though. I didn't really like the male lead.

The score was really great.

Overall I thought it had some good style, but I can't find anything special in it past that.

C+