The second film in Krzysztof Kieslowski's THREE COLORS trilogy lacks the power of the first and third installments, BLUE and RED, but produces its own distinct pleasures. WHITE's story of obsessive love is originally told and surprisingly funny.
In a Paris courtroom, Dominique (Julie Delpy), a French woman, divorces her Polish husband, Karol (Zbigniew Zamachowski), a hairdresser, because he has been unable to consummate their marriage. After the hearing, Dominique, who is still angry at Karol, burns their hair salon and frames her
ex-husband for the arson. Karol is forced to flee to the Paris subways, where he meets Mikolaj (Janusz Gajos), a businessman who convinces him to return to Poland. In Warsaw, Karol manages to strike it rich and plots a fantastic revenge against his former wife.
Compared to the previous BLUE and subsequent RED, WHITE is a curiosity. The film is distinguished by quirky humor and farcical plot developments, and it is directed in a straightforward, less stylized fashion than the other two films. Still, WHITE effectively continues Kieslowski's search for
meaning amidst unusual relationships. Karol's incredible fall-and-rise produces moments ranging from pathos to hilarity, and Zbigniew Zamachowski's performance as Karol ("Charles") deliberately evokes the bittersweet charm of Charlie Chaplin's Little Tramp.
WHITE represents the "equality" section of the French tricolor in an eccentric and rather disturbing way. The national, economic, and sexual "equality" achieved here leaves the bitter aftertaste of revenge, which is at odds with the more optimistic conclusions of the other tricolor films.
Indeed, Kieslowski seems to view equality as a chimerical goal--sexual relationships are innately antagonistic, the market (black or white) rewards the ruthless at the expense of the powerless. A more satisfying ending of WHITE occurs at the end of RED, the last story in the trilogy, during which
Karol and Dominique reappear together in an unexpected way. leave a comment