Blue (1993)

The first in famed Polish director Krzysztof Kieslowski's "Three Colors" trilogy, this effort representing "Liberty" is a deliberately paced but rewarding look at the process of mourning and redefining one's life after personal tragedy strikes. As a vehicle for French superstar Juliette Binoche (and a mightily effective one), it allows her to convey a wide array of emotions that her previous screen work couldn't accomplish. Told with the director's trademark visual eye, the film also uses music as a catalyst (a major character is a composer as well), with a haunting score by Zbigniew Preisner that was written before the film was made, so the action could follow its rhythms. Followed by Trois Couleurs: White and the Oscar-nominated Trois Couleurs: Red, this series furthered Kieslowski's reputation as a world-class filmmaker and expanded his considerable fan base to include North America. ~ Jason Clark, All Movie Guide