Friday Night Flicks: Three Colors: Blue

One of life’s greatest challenges is the fact that we’re all going to deal with bouts of grief — hell, most of us probably are dealing with some degree of it right now and always. It’s one of the unifying traits of being a human being. 

How you deal with grief is something of an art in itself — and definitely is one of the reasons behind our fascination / idolization / fanaticism / obsession with Nick Cave. He’s managed to take his grief (and Lord knows he’s got some) and lay it out on a blanket for all to see and learn and find strength in. He then offers an ear and a voice to those experiencing their own grief on his Red Hand Files site and in his book with journalist Seán O’Hagan: Faith, Hope and Carnage. Through his own exploration with grief he’s given humanity a ridiculous amount of courage and strength to continue on in the face of one of life’s most debilitating emotions. The following films do the same.

Tonight, I encourage you to crack open Krzysztof Kieślowski’s Color Trilogy —starting with Blue starring Juliette Binoche. And before you assume I’m sending you into the living room to burn through tissues and tears, I think by the end of this film — which thanks to an incredible score by Zbigniew Preisner and cinematography by Sławomir Idziak — you will feel so inspired and rejuvenated by the power of art that you may well find yourself liberated enough in your own dealings with grief to shed a few tears of the happy variety.—Travis Ferré

Watch Three Colors: Blue on Criterion here.

*Be sure to continue on with the Three Colors Trilogy and watch Red and White as well — equally as incredible and as a trilogy it is one of life’s finest film watching experiences. All are available right now on The Criterion Channel (which we highly encourage you to explore and consider investing your hard earned money in for a subscription and access to some of the best films ever made). Sure beat scrolling.