Three Colours: Red

Acclaimed as the most powerful of the three films, Red, which contains echoes of Blue and White, is the climax of the trilogy. Shot in Geneva, a model Valentine (Jacob) meets a Judge (Trintignant) when she returns his dog which she has injured in a car accident.

The judge is an old man, bitter about a failed relationship, who eavesdrops on his neighbours' phone conversations. Valentine's initial response to this information is hostile but she soon softens towards the Judge when he tells her his life story, and it becomes clear that, except for their difference in ages, they would have been ideal partners.

Valentine lives just across the street from August (Lorit), a young lawyer, who is portrayed as a younger version of the Judge. Auguste is very much in love with Karin (Feder) and although he frequently passes Valentine in the street, they never notice one another.

However, Kieslowski's premise: that what will be, will be, is demonstrated in the final reel of Red, where the fate of not only the three protagonists, but also the principal characters from the two earlier films, is dictated by forces beyond anyone's control.

At the 1994 Cannes Film Festival, Red was acclaimed as an outstanding film and a great work.