The Double Life of Véronique (1991)
Véronique is a beautiful young French woman who aspires to be a renowned singer; Weronika lives in Poland, has a similar career goal and looks identical to Véronique, though the two are not related. The film follows both women as...
Title:The double life of Véronique
AKA: La double vie de Véronique/Podwójne życie Weroniki
Year: 1991
Directed: Krzysztof Kieślowski
Genre: Drama
Runtime: 1h 38m
Country: Poland-France
Language: Polish-French
Subtitles: English (.srt)
Cast:
Irène Jacob - Weronika/Véronique (with the voice of Anna Gornostaj for Polish dialogue)
Halina Gryglaszewska - Aunt
Kalina Jędrusik - Gaudy Woman
Aleksander Bardini - Orchestra Conductor
Władysław Kowalski - Weronika's father
Guillaume De Tonquédec - Serge
Jerzy Gudejko - Antek
Philippe Volter - Alexandre Fabbri
Bruce Schwartz - Puppeteer
Sandvrine Dumas - Catherine
Synopsis:
The film follows the lives of a young woman first in Poland, Weronika, and then a young woman in France, Véronique, both played by Irène Jacob. Though unrelated, the two appear identical, share many personality traits, and seem to be aware of each other on some level, as if they are doppelgängers; but except for a brief glimpse through a bus window in Kraków, they never meet. After Weronika sacrifices everything in the pursuit of a singing career, Véronique abandons her own similar goal because of poor health and attempts to find an independent course for her life, while becoming involved with a manipulative man who is fascinated by clues to her double nature. The man is a puppeteer and maker of marionettes, helping raise the questions that are central to the film: is there such a thing as free will, or is it up to a creator of some kind, or is it just a matter of chance that one acts and thinks as one does?
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