My Review of "Les trois couleurs : blanc (The three colors: white)"

Les trois couleurs : blanc (The three colors: white) is a pretty old movie. It came out back in 1994. I wasn't sure what I was going to get myself into but I noticed that it was a revenge movie and I usually can't really resist revenge movies. After watching this movie I noticed how dated it would seem to today's standards. Some of the things that happen in this movie would never be able to happen today but then again some of the motivations would seem pretty toxic as well.

This movie starts off on a sad note. Our main protagonist Karol is getting a divorce from his newlywed wife Dominique. It's kind of a really odd situation. They're both in France but Karol is actually an immigrant from Poland. The reason Dominique is asking for a divorce is because they never consummated their marriage. Already I think the relationship dynamics are really messed up. How could this newlywed marriage be so dysfunctional already?

Next thing you know Karol is on his butt in a subway station because he has no money and no prospects at all since he doesn't speak the language. He just wants to go back to Poland. All hope is lost for him and then there's this man by the name of Mikolaj. He's also Polish and recognizes Karol as Polish because of the music he is humming with his makeshift comb harmonica.

The two form a friendship and Mikolaj agrees to try to smuggle Karol back into Poland. Mikolaj also mentions to Karol if he wants to make some money there's a job he can offer. The problem with the job is that he may have to kill someone that is contemplating suicide. Karol doesn't know about the job but he does know that he wants to get back to Poland.

After an unfortunate incident Karol finally gets back to Poland and starts to plot a way to become successful. He hatches a few plans and seems to be a man on a mission. He is definitely a different man when he gets back to Poland.

Behind all of his success he obtains he has an ulterior motivation. He is of course plotting revenge for how he was treated back in France. His plan is pretty messed up even as revenge movies go. I realize what Dominique must seem to him but this is a really messed up plan.

As this movie was made in the 1990s there is a definite air of misogyny in this movie. Dominique doesn't want to have anything to do with Karol in this movie but as we find out Karol is pretty obsessed with her. She makes it pretty clear to him that she doesn't want anything to do with him and today his actions wouldn't exactly be encouraged. It has a sense of what some people today would consider an incel mode of thought.

The movie kind of plays around with Dominique's emotions in the way she reacts to Karol. It does this in a non realistic sort of way. You can tell it's definitely how Dominique displays her emotions according to Karol. The emotions aren't congruent and make no sense. Close to the end of the movie they try to make her seem like some sort of gold digger but it doesn't really work out that way.

Instead by the end of the movie I had even more sympathy for Dominique than I did for Karol. I was happy that Karol had achieved success however the purpose of his whole plan was really messed up. In the end I saw Karol more as a self absorbed sociopath. What seems like it should be a happy ending really ended up as one of the worse conclusions that I could think of happening.

That's not to say that this movie didn't have its moments. There were some pretty interesting ideas spread throughout this movie. As a movie from the 1990s it is a well put together movie in general. Even though I don't agree with much of the content in this movie I have to give this movie props where its due. They did a lot and the movie was comprehensive despite being in Polish and French.

Overall, you kind of have to have an open mind and know what it was like to live in the 1990s to kind of get this movie. I don't think generations today would really enjoy this movie that much then again I have no idea what they might think. I have to give this movie a 7 out of 10. I was only disappointed in the last quarter of the movie. If it wasn't for that I would have given this movie a higher score.