Bleu Analysis

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Analysis of French Film Bleu

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Bleu Film Analysis
The film, Bleu, portrays the profound story of a woman who goes to great lengths in order to
escape the pain of losing her husband and daughter. From a technical standpoint, much of the film
utilizes shot angles and distance to portray a message about the incidences in the story. From a
symbolic perspective, the story incorporates many repeating themes such as music and colors. These
help complement the film’s exploration of Juliet’s emotional journey as she attempts to free herself
from the past by repressing it. In this analysis, I will attempt to elucidate a few of the significant events
in the film.
First, the film utilizes a number of great shots to successfully accomplish a task, whether it is to
better provide meaning or illustrate an event. For example, the shot of the automobile accident is
unlike any shot produced in the current Hollywood trend of explosions and excitement. The film almost
under dramatizes the crash, shooting the crash against a much larger sky, signifying the almost
paradoxical insignificance of this death relative the expanse of life around the crash. Furthermore, the
shot is very distant, making the viewer feel almost helpless as he or she can only observe from this
forced distance. This kind of distant shot is utilized in a different away. When Juliet views the funeral of
her husband and daughter, she watches on a small screen, making the already distant event seem even
farther through the small size. This signifies the already great length of physical separation between her
and her loved one’s bodies, only a small time frame from the crash.
Next, I want to explore the film’s use of symbolism to help portray Juliet’s repression and
attempts to escape the pain of losing her loved ones. In almost every scene, she has a mask of stoicism,
unwilling to cry and feel her pain. Throughout the film, events and characters will attempt to draw that
emotion out, ultimately showing that freedom is only achieved when Juliet stops running and confronts
her buried emotions. The first major symbolic theme is the color blue. It is French color for liberty and
parallels Juliet’s attempt to achieve freedom from her painful situation. The blue lamp is one significant
recurring object in the film. It represents a tie to the past, which is why Juliet damages it in an attempt
to set herself free. However, it is this past she must accept and face that is necessary for her to move on.
Thus, the lamp is shown throughout the entirety of the film to the end. Furthermore, the blue waters
represent the peace of mind and escape Juliet desperately strives, demonstrated by her recurring dives
and swims. Her swims are her attempt to repress the past and cut ties, burying the memories and
emotions as she buries her body beneath the waters. However, ultimately, it is in the water where she
actually cries, an important step for her to finally confront her feelings and move on.
The other major symbolic theme in the movie is music. Juliet’s husband composed music and it
is rumored Juliet herself co-composed some of her husband’s music including the crucial symphony for
the union of European cities. For most of the film, music haunts Juliet, where some scenes would fade
to black to the haunting bellows of the unfinished symphony. Everything that reminds Juliet of her
deceased husband is abandoned or sold, yet the intangible music will always linger because it exists in
the depths of her mind. The flute’s music and the memories of the composed work all pull her to her
roots as she forcefully attempts to repress and distance them. However, after learning of her husband’s
mistress and hearing Olivier proposing to finish the unfinished symphony, Juliet is forced to confront her
painful feelings and memories. This ultimately liberates her as she begins the healing/liberation
process. She agrees to help Olivier with the arranging the music and begins a committed personal
relationship with him. In the end, the same music that once trapped and haunted her now sets her free.
With that, the music no longer haunts her and she embraces it. The tone, once a tormenting and
entrapping sound, becomes more hopeful and liberating as the film ends.
Overall, the film does a great job of exploring the inner emotions of a severely distressed
woman through the use of external symbols.

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