(Look for the signs - they’re all around you, and they‘re all in red…)
CAST: Irene Jacob, Jean-Louis Tritingnant, Jean-Pierre Lorit, Juliette Binoche, Julie Delpy.
DIRECTOR: Krystof Kiezlowski
WARNING: Some SPOILERS and fashion models consorting with skeezy old snoops - straight ahead….
If an award existed for “Most Unjustly Maligned Film” one of the top contenders would be the 1993 thriller SLIVER. It was based on the hit novel by Ira Levin, which explored what happens when a newly-divorced Manhattan book editor moves into a sleek highrise that turns out to have a huge pest problem. Specifically, an electronic one. You, see the building is bugged with hidden video cameras - all being watched by the mysterious owner of the building in a war room that makes the bridge of the U.S.S. Enterprise look like something me and my brothers concocted out of refrigerator boxes. Before long, our heroine finds herself drawn into a world of voyeurism and murder.
Unfortunately, SLIVER toned down the mystery/thriller aspect of the novel in favor of some serious rumpy-pumpy between leads Sharon Stone and William Baldwin to capitalize on the BASIC INSTINCT fervor that was then gripping the world. The result? A film that is nowhere near as good as it should have been, but is still interesting for some of the themes and ideas it half-raises and partially explores. I consider SLIVER a frustrating misfire because it could have been a modern REAR WINDOW. Instead, it’s just a gorgeously-made, occasionally riveting thriller.
I have to wonder if Krystof Kiezlowski saw SLIVER and thought “Goddamnit, there’s something good here - and I’m going to do it right.” Or however the hell you say that in Polish. Kiezlowski was responsible for the near-classics BLEU and BLANC, which are the first two of his TRES COLOURES trilogy. Or THREE COLORS to us American philistines. ROUGE is his third and final chapter in the series, and it is basically SLIVER - but without the sex and murder.
Our heroine is Valentine (Irene Jacob). Very fitting since ROUGE is the latest in our Valentine’s Day lineup. Valentine is a fashion model in Geneva and is quite the busy girl. To wit, she spends her days: (1) posing for elegant ads; (2) walking the runway at glamorous shows; and (3) frantically rushing home to take calls from her possessive boyfriend while he’s on travel. In short, your basic cover girl’s schedule. This is basically the life that my sister and brother turned down more than once. Why is it my siblings got the modeling offers and the best prospect I got was to dress up as Hamburglar at the local McDonald’s?
Whatever. At this point you’re probably wondering what Valentine, a model in Geneva, has to do with SLIVER and its NYC apartment tower completely infested with pre-YouTube shenanigans. Glad you asked. See, after a fashion show, our lovely Valentine accidentally runs over a dog one night, and traces the animal’s owner by the address on its collar. She goes to the house and discovers three things: (1) the owner is a grumpy retired judge called, uh, The Judge (Jean-Louis Trnintignant); (2) he couldn’t give a fuck about his injured dog; and (3) he likes to spy on his neighbors’ phone calls using a high-tech radio. All in all, not exactly Mr. Sunshine.
Horrified at The Judge’s illicit hobby, Valentine tries to warn the neighbors about his eavesdropping. Unfortunately, faced with telling a nice housewife that her husband is currently upstairs planning to a rendezvous with his male lover, Valentine understandably wusses out. Would you want to be the one to bust up that family? Which is pretty much what the cunning Judge planned on. Crafty little fucker.
Anyhow, Valentine returns to the Judge’s house to beg him to stop what he’s doing. This is the point in SLIVER where Sharon Stone discovered who the secret voyeur was, acted all disgusted and horrified - before promptly plopping her shapely ass in a chair and get busy watching, too. Suffice it to say, against her better judgement, Valentine allows herself to be seduced by the Judge‘s snooping. In addition to the BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN saga going on next door, other dramas nearby include: (1) lovebirds so syrupy you can’t wait for the romance to go under like the Titanic; (2) a seemingly respectable businessman who is actually a major drug dealer; and (3) a chick who is constantly calling for weather reports.
Will Valentine end up like The Judge? Or will she succeed in getting him to stop? What is his reason anyway for monitoring his neighbors’ conversations? What secret lies in his past that is driving this batshit business in the present? What role does the handsome man named August (Jean-Pierre Lorit) whom Valentine is forever almost running into, play in the story? Is he one of the people The Judge is spying on? And does have some sort of link to Valentine? If so, what is it? Where is this all going? And the most pressing question of all: was this film originally titled SLIVER 2: YOU LIKE TO LISTEN, DON’T YOU?
Wouldn’t surprise me. Hopefully, we don’t get a flash of Jean-Louis Trintignant’s buttocks. My eyes are going bad as it is.
BUT, SERIOUSLY: Krystof Kiezlowski’s TRES COLOURES trilogy are three of my favorite films. And out of BLEU, BLANC, and ROUGE, the last one is my favorite. An examination of isolation, connection, and redemption, ROUGE is the most resonant of the three films, and perfectly ends the series on a warm and hopeful note.
SLIVER and ROUGE, while being from different genres, have superficial similarities. Both deal with sleek, beautiful women who, much like Alice in ALICE IN WONDERLAND, metaphorically fall through a dark hole - and tumble into shadowy world of voyeurism, secrets, and mystery. While SLIVER chose to use these themes for titillation and thrills, ROUGE goes much deeper to explain why The Judge is compelled to do what he does, and how Valentine redeems and saves him - and in doing so, fulfills her destiny. In short, ROUGE explores the human side of voyeurism, which is portrayed in the film as a frustrated, twisted attempt to connect with other people.
ROUGE is ultimately a love story, albeit a very, very offbeat one. The primary relationship that drives the film is Valentine’s growing relationship with The Judge - and her reaction to his actions. It goes from disgust, to anger, to curiosity, to pity, then - finally - to understanding. Irene Jacob, easily one of the most beautiful actresses ever, vividly captures Valentine’s enchanting mix of grace, beauty, softness, and strength. She meshes well with Jean-Louis Trintignant, who makes The Judge into a figure both pathetic and noble - but always compelling. Valentine’s unexpected discovery of his eavesdropping is what pushes him to engage with another human being for the first time since his wife died - and it transforms him. Essentially, she forces him to get back into living - instead of spying on the lives of others.
But there is also a more conventional romantic thread that runs through ROUGE. This is Valentine’s constant near-misses with August. This element of the plot echoes SLEEPLESS IN SEATTLE, but presents in a more abstract and lyrical way. Or, in other words, a more European way. The final revelation of August’s role in the plot, and how The Judge’s actions have shaped events, is a far more compelling “happy ending” than the one in SLEEPLESS IN SEATTLE.
In the end, ROUGE is a film that is worthy of capping the TRES COLOURES trilogy. It is also a film that can stand straight and tall on its own, like the first two films. It is also a valentine (no pun intended) to the seemingly chance encounters that often make - or break - relationships. And how people can actually communicate more by saying less and just listening. Sometimes, words just get in the way….
