Michel Deville
La femme en bleu

What can spark a viewer's interest in a film? It doesn't necessarily have to be loaded with special effects; often, subtle nuances are enough to captivate the attention of those seated in the audience, leaving them with something inside that makes them say, "well, here's an unusual story that stimulates both curiosity and reflection." In short, a film that is not at all trivial and not necessarily a box office hit, yet still carries a certain charm when revisited after years.

This is precisely the case with "La femme en bleu," directed by Michel Deville (among the various auteurs of the French nouvelle vague and somewhat underrated here in Italy) in 1973. Starting from a simple plot, it follows the unusual odyssey of Pierre (played by the great Michel Piccoli), a renowned musicologist who one day, by chance, crosses paths with a woman in light blue clothing on the streets of central Paris. It's just a fleeting appearance; they don't speak, but it's enough to fascinate and intrigue Pierre. He is a successful forty-something not only in his work but also not insensitive to female allure, so much so that he maintains intimate relationships with various women. His sexual life would thus be already intense, yet this woman in blue (remarkably similar to Aurelie, his official lover) leaves a deep impression on him. Without further delay, with the help of the curious Aurelie, interested in the protagonist’s whim, he decides to track her down by scouring the numerous streets and wide boulevards of Paris in his spare time.

An incredible feat, as anyone who has visited the great City of Light knows. But it's hard to reason when obsessed with something or someone. And in the unraveling of this mad venture, Pierre understands not only the futility of his search but also notices the gap between what is real around him (Aurelie, the true woman who genuinely loves him) and what seems to be the fleeting apparition of an idealized woman, even a female archetype. Nothing less than the divide between idea and reality, already analyzed in the philosophical realm from Plato onwards. Yet, with a further suspicion taking root in the protagonist's pondering mind: perhaps this mysterious woman could even be a sort of angel heralding the fateful final hour, the impending Death. With such thoughts, Pierre truly risks going insane, possibly arriving at a tragic end more imagined than actually realized.

The director doesn't give us a definitive ending, leaving us teetering between imagination and reality, using flashbacks. This can be both a strength and a weakness of the film. What is certain is the effective portrayal of a successful man who, despite everything, doesn't feel entirely satisfied with what he has achieved in his life and embarks on the search for an ideal woman. No one better than an actor as intense as Michel Piccoli (sadly recently deceased) was among the best at embodying the existential crisis of the modern average man in current times. Equally significant is the performance of Lea Massari (a great Italian actress) in the role of Aurelie, Pierre's faithful and wise lover. A well-matched couple wandering the streets of Paris, a sprawling and romantic metropolis. And over all these adventures hovers a sense of inevitable end, a universal memento mori that makes the film worthy of being revisited.