Three Colors: Red

Krzysztof Kieślowski called this the hardest of the three to write. Zbigniew Preisner’s main theme, Bolero, was composed before filming began and stood, the filmmakers said, for the things that keep recurring in a life. The ending closes three films rather than one. When the ferry goes down in the Channel, the news counts 7 survivors: Valentine and Auguste, with the couples from Blue and White. The bottle returns a third time too; in Blue Julie does not notice the old woman, in White Karol ignores her, and here Valentine pushes it into the bin. The awards are worth listing. At the 67th Academy Awards the film was nominated for directing, original screenplay and cinematography. It never entered the foreign language race: Switzerland put it forward, the Academy ruled it a majority French production and disqualified it, Miramax appealed without success, and Switzerland sent nothing in its place. Poland had entered White that year, which drew no nomination. Of 7 César nominations only Preisner’s became a win. A good fit if you want the bond between Valentine and the retired judge built out of coincidence and repetition instead of a romantic resolution. Not for someone watching this alone and expecting the ending to land; the names in that final broadcast carry weight for viewers who have seen the other two.