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Blue (1993)Blue (1993)

Blue (1993)

Derek Jarman’s last testament in film, a losing battle with AIDS set on an unchanging screen of blue

Documentary, Drama

best
THE VERY BEST

8.0

movie

United Kingdom
English
Depressing, Emotional, Intense
1993
Derek Jarman
Derek Jarman, John Quentin, Nigel Terry
79 min

Synopsis

rotten tomatoes
imdb
wikipedia
Against a plain, unchanging blue screen, a densely interwoven soundtrack of voices, sound effects and music attempt to convey a portrait of Derek Jarman's experiences with AIDS, both literally and allegorically, together with an exploration of the meanings associated with the colour blue.

Our Take

8.0
Isabella Endrinal

Part documentary yet part surreal daydream, director Derek Jarman’s final film is one last rallying cry into a blue void. Against an unchanging screen of International Klein Blue, most of the film is Jarman’s voice, drifting through various subjects, from day-to-day complications of AIDS to contemplations about the color blue. Some of his frequent collaborators chime in. Choirs singing about damnation occasionally pop up too. While essentially a radio drama, the combination of voices, foley, and scores all merge together into an ethereal, haunting soundscape, that sticks in your head long after the film ends. Mirroring his partial blindness, Jarman’s last experiment leaves an impression of his own experience. It’s absolutely devastating.

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