Film #6 of The December Project

The Double Life of Veronique left me speechless. The first thing I thought was: how the HELL can I write a review of this film when my brain has evaporated from the sheer brilliance of it? It seems like any words I use will drastically underrate and undermine my true sentiments for this film, but I'll give it my best shot in the spirit of the December challenge.

From the first time you hear Veronique sing, you know she's just a little bit different than the rest of us. She has a really special positive energy that's infectious and makes you want to see the world and experience it the way she does. I found myself mimicking her facial expressions and mannerisms because they were so foreign and yet so familiar. I pretty much fell in love with her right from the beginning.

I won't go in depth about the story because it's the kind of film you should probably know as little about as possible before experiencing it. All I knew was that people hail it as a masterpiece and more than a few people have told me it changed their lives. With hype like that, I expected to be irritated with its overblown reputation. However, my walls came tumbling down during Veronique's duet. If it doesn't make you cry, you probably have no heart or soul. It's transcendent.

Technically, this film is far and above any other film I've seen from the 90's. It looks and sounds perfect. This is one of the few films I've seen that used sound design to its full potential. Instead of constantly being reminded that you're watching a film, you're sucked into Veronique's universe and you feel like you're right there in front of her.

I'm running out of energy to gush over this any more, but I'll conclude by saying the Double Life of Veronique may have changed my outlook on film forever.