Existentialism as Expressed by Kieslowski

Existentialism is a philosophical approach that originates from the nineteenth century Europe. The approach is in line with principles of atheism as it emphasizes that although individuals cannot determine their existence, they still have the free will to determine their essence once they are in existence. Considering the basic principles and the principles that informed this philosophical approach, this approach was a subject of great controversy in the nineteenth and twentieth-century Europe. People wrote philosophical discourses and made various works of art either in agreement or resistance to the basics of existentialism. Towards the end of the twentieth century, Krzysztof Kieslowski joined the debate when he directed the first part of a series of three films he famously dubbed ‘three colors.’ Apart from the fact that Kieslowski’s film invokes the principles of existentialism, the title of the film is, in itself, philosophical. Kieslowski alludes to the three colors of the French flag in his production; however, this allusion regards non-political views to the meanings of those. Blue, in the French flag, stands for liberty. Thus, personal freedom and liberty were key themes in the first film of the series. The plot of the film ‘three colors: blue’ surrounds the life of a widow, Julie. Julie’s husband and daughter died in an automobile accident to leave her in great anguish and emotional distress. Having been hospitalized after she survived the accident, Julie attempts suicide while in hospital. In dealing with her anguish and emotional distress, Julie attempts to detach herself from everything and anyone that reminds her of her husband by saying goodbye to her husband’s collaborator, emptying their house, putting the house up for sale, and escaping to a location where no one knows her. Her desire to seclude herself, however, fails as a boy innocently seeks to hand her across he picked at the accident site and to repeat her husband’s last words to her. She also reluctantly befriends a Lucille, an exotic dancer, who has an affair with her neighbor.  Through television, she learns that Olivier, her late husband’s collaborator, intends to complete one of her late husband’s works and that he had an affair; she is interested in knowing about her husband’s mistress. She tracks down Patrice’s mistress, Sandrine, and learns that the latter is pregnant for Patrice, her husband. She then arranges for Sandrine to have their house and agrees to collaborate with Olivier. Krzysztof Kieslowski’s ‘the three colors blue’ is a reflection of key existential themes in society such as freedom, loss, morality, and death.

Kieslowski’s production focuses on loneliness and the need for individuals to embrace fraternity, equality, and liberty in his attempt to address existentialism. In the film, Julie sought loneliness; however, the loneliness later turned out sour. Julie finds in her heart a place and a reason to identify herself with Sandrine and even see her as her equal by agreeing to hand her the house that her husband left for her. The concepts that Kieslowski attempts to bring out in these instances are consistent with Husserl’s historical a priori and his view of philosophy as a shaper of society. Historical a priori refers the order that underlies a given culture in a certain historical period (Crowell 65). Edmund Husserl, a German philosopher of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, used a historical a priori to come up with the philosophy of existential phenomenology (Crowell 64). This philosophy argues that the essence of an existing object depends on the perceptions of the individual viewing it. In the same wake, the essence of Sandrine to Julie is influenced by her perception of her husband’s mistress; Julie does not perceive Sandrine as a competitor but as the mother of her lover’s baby. Although Julie has the liberty, as the rightful wife of Patrice, to mistreat Sandrine, she still finds in her heart the fairness to treat Sandrine as an equal and hand her part of Patrice’s fortune. Julie thinks beyond herself just as Husserl saw mathematics as more than just a series of numbers; Patrice mistreated both Sandrine and her, and as the mother of Patrice’s baby, Sandrine deserves part of Patrice’s fortune (Crowell 76).

‘The three colors: blue’ also expounds on the applicability of the key concepts of existentialism as expressed in the philosophy of Sartre in human society and on human behavior. Sartre’s philosophy of existentialism attempts to explain the absurdity and the meaningless of life; death is the biggest absurdity of life (Hayim 29). Kieslowski’s production focuses on this absurdity of death perfectly. The death of her husband and daughter seems to erase everything that Julie ever worked for. She, thus, looks to destroy all that they were continuing to work on and attempts to dissociate herself from all that they had worked for. Julie failing in an attempted suicide reveals another angle of the absurdity of death; death often strikes unsuspecting individuals who would do everything to avoid it and at times spares the ones who need it or deserve it most. Further, the fact that Julie resorts to tracking her late husband’s mistress and treating her well is perfect evidence of the meaninglessness of life and love relationships. Moreover, as Sartre argues, a person’s existence precedes their essence, and an individual’s will is the bridge between their existence and essence. For instance, Olivier existed before Patrice’s death; however, his essence changed after Patrice’s death. Olivier’s actions of continuing Patrice’s activities and agreeing to collaborate with Julie change his essence to Julie; he changes from her husband’s collaborator to her partner. Also, Julie’s actions are in line with Sartre’s proposition that an individual’s existence, freedom of choice, and responsibility underlie their essence (Hayim 36). Julie becomes a savior to Sandrine when she willingly decides to be responsible enough to hand Sandrine the house that she and Patrice had lived in. Additionally, in line with Sartre’s propositions, Julie decides to free herself and be the noble person who uses her freedom to better her life and that of others. Initially, she lacks the courage to face her current situation hence she suffers Sartre’s nausea (Hayim 51). However, she later decides to use her will to engage and help Sandrine. This leads to another of Sartre’s propositions – one’s responsibility to themselves and others. The boy who picked a cross at the accident scene feels that he owes responsibility to Julie and pursued his heart. His actions are pivotal in changing Julie’s perception of life. Julie later feels that she, as Patrice’s next of kin, owes responsibility to his unborn child hence her decision to assist Sandrine. Also, Julie’s actions prove the importance of commitment as Julie decides to stop her indifference to her surroundings. On interpersonal relations, Sartre describes other people as a torture to one (Hayim 46). In Kieslowski’s production, Julie recognizes the torture and anguish that the people who remind her of her former life cause her; she, thus, decides to defend herself by avoidance hence her attempt to seclude herself.

From Julie’s story, it is evident that if one employs existentialism as a means of sparking leadership in society, they can be able to find solutions to key problems that face man. As Lawler notes, Sartre’s existentialism means that one has the free will to make decisions (217). If one can combine these free will with the commitment to their responsibility to themselves and others, then they will have the motivation to do and lead others in doing things that are beneficial to themselves and the rest of the world (216). This view is highly relevant to Kieslowski’s production. In ‘the three colors: blue,’ Julie acts a leader. Julie outgrows the characters that Sartre compares to stones and plants and decides to be like the man who Sartre admires – a man who uses their liberty and free will to better their lives and those of others (Hayim 66). Julie understands her immense responsibility as the completer of her husband’s works; she appreciates that her husband’s works include those that she was unaware of. Once she understood these responsibilities, she became committed to the course of fulfilling them. She becomes the leader that seeks out Olivier and Sandrine with an intention of utilizing their situations to add value to her life and their lives. She agrees to partner Olivier in completing some of her late husband’s pieces and to support Sandrine by handing her their house. By doing these, Julie solves major problems that face herself, Olivier, and Sandrine; she is lonely, Olivier lacks a partner, and Sandrine is faced with a crisis – she is about to deliver an illegitimate child of a deceased man. Kieslowski, therefore, uses a real-life example to show that indeed using existentialism to spark leadership can be central to solving major problems that face humanity.

The discussion above confirms that Krzysztof Kieslowski’s ‘the three colors: blue’ is indeed a reflection of key existential themes in society such as freedom, loss, morality, and death. The film emphasizes the free will of all men to choose what is right and wrong. In line with Sartre’s existentialism and Husserl’s existential phenomenology, Julie rediscovers her freedom and uses it to pursue morality by perceiving Sandrine not as an enemy but as the expectant mother of Patrice’s child. With her will to pursue morality, Julie becomes committed to its course. As Lawler explains the relationship between Sartre’s philosophy and leadership, a will to do good and commitment to this course are what makes good leaders (218). Additionally, Kieslowski’s piece is built on the existential perceptions of death as Sartre brings it out in his philosophy. Death is indeed an absurd actor who strikes without warning and leaves detrimental effects.

Works Cited

Crowell, Steven. “Husserl’s existentialism: ideality, traditions, and the historical apriori.” Continental Philosophy Review, Vol. 49, No.1, 2016, pp. 67-83. Springer

Hayim, Gila J. Existentialism & Sociology: The Contribution of Jean-Paul Sartre. New Brunswick, U.S.A: Transaction Publishers, 1996.

Lawler, John. “The essence of leadership? Existentialism and leadership.” Leadership, Vol. 1, No. 2, 2005, pp. 215-231. Sage Journals

Three Colours: Blue. Directed by Krzysztof Kieślowski, 1993.