MovieChat Forums > Trois couleurs: Rouge (1994) Discussion > Do you think the judge made up his backs...

Do you think the judge made up his backstory?

posted 8 years ago by Allezor
2 replies | jump to latest

I haven't watched Blue or White(yet) so maybe I'm missing some key elements, but...
At first I thought the judge was the young man in the beginning with the black dog, and we were seeing his past.
But it appeared he was one of the survivors on the ferry alongside Valentin, so that meant he wasn't the same person, like a 'ghost'...

Do you think the judge made up his backstory?
An old man whos been listening in on his neighbors for years, living alone with his dog which he seemed not to care too much about...I didn't trust him.
Since he was eavesdropping on people's lives, he could've taken some stories and fabricated them for his own.
because his backstory seemed to mimic the events happening to the young man, about the older girlfriend, the cheating, dropping his books on the street...
and then telling Valentine to travel by ferry, knowing that the man would be there, was that on purpose?
Was he even really a judge or did he make it up?
Was it coincidence? What does it mean?
What am I missing?

We're all stories in the end. Just make it a good one, eh?

[–] murph24 8 years ago

Joseph Kern (the judge) wasn't making up his backstory. The similarities in background that Auguste shares with him aren't discussed over the phone; the audience either learns about them in scenes involving Karin & Auguste, or sees them being played out - like Auguste witnessing Karin's sexual betrayal.

And the film makes it clear Kern was a real judge; when it becomes known that he spied on his neighbors' phone calls, Valentine sees a newspaper story about it which identifies him as a retired judge. He's even shown returning to a location (the theater where the fashion show was held) that he frequented during his days as a judge.

Also, Kern had no idea Auguste was going to be riding on the same ferry Valentine ended up taking; he simply thought it would be a more interesting way for her to reach England.

In "Red," Krzysztof Kieslowski wanted to examine chance, coincidence and the inevitability of fate, and to this end he had Valentine hooking up with someone (the judge) who is ALMOST her perfect match; meanwhile, the guy who IS her perfect match (Auguste) remains outside her circle of acquaintances - until a tragedy brings them together.

[–] Ace_Spade (9334) 4 years ago

I don't think that's the intention, but the idea of him making things up based on what he overheard is interesting to think about...