In 1993, Derek Jarman was dying of AIDS. He had serious complications from his treatments for the disease—eventually going blind—but even in the midst of it, he still managed to create his most personal film.
His final film, “Blue,” is the ultimate statement about death. Jarman’s regular troupe of Tilda Swinton, Nigel Terry, and John Quentin contribute to his final project. The most striking element of the film being the entire visual element. It is a deep shade of Yves Klein blue. This acts as an entrance into Jarman’s mind as he speaks frankly about his life, his illness, and his impending death.
It was a very difficult film for me watch physically;the endless blue tone has that effect. But I was utterly entranced once the voice of Jarman entered the film. He spoke very frankly about his disease, his pains, his blindness, and his desire to keep going. It was, at its core, like watching a person die.
What has always impressed me about Jarman is his lack of need for a traditional narrative structure. In “Blue”, with the visual element essentially gone, we are left to interpret every emotion and every experience along with Jarman. The fact that Jarman throws away the entire visual dimension in a visual medium is truly incredible. What he does in this new presentation is allow the film to become something it could never be. We actually feel his pain: he is dying, and we have to follow right along with it. When I can say that a film is a truly new experience, it amazes me. Derek Jarman’s film “Blue” does just that. Never do I think we will see a film so psychologically engaging and emotionally gut-wrenching.
I can wonder what Jarman would be doing if he were still alive. Even in death, he still had more to say than most other filmmakers could ever hope to have in an entire career.
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