Krzysztof Kieslowski’s Three Colours trilogy is regarded by many as a masterwork; three remarkable films that revealed the light and dark heart of human experience. Heaven, Hell and the as yet unmade Purgatory were next and, after Kieslowski’s death, handed to new directors. The ideas are no less seductive but could they survive the interpretation of others? It is a question that haunted Heaven (2002) and hangs over Tanovic’s production like an unwelcome guest.

Perhaps it should, for L’Enfer (Hell) concerns itself with unwelcome intrusion and a past that haunts the lives of three sisters. Sophie (Beart) lives with an unfaithful husband, Anne is having an affair with a married professor, Celine hopes for a relationship with a young man who has mysteriously entered her life. Lurking in the background is their despondent, mute mother whose personal tragedy forced an emotional winter upon her daughters. Geographically close, they seldom see one another and maintain their guilt-laden lives apart.

L’Enfer opens with a tantalising, kaleidoscopic sequence that sets up a story in which Kieslowski visits the sins of parents on children. Faultless performances anchor a character study that attempts big themes: love, destiny, coincidence, faith and death. Fluid, confident camera work flips between sisters past and present, colour-coding the action with a sensual flair that is supportive yet not intrusive. As emotional bomb-shells explode with irregular pacing, Tanovic pieces together an ugly series of events that came to traumatize the women. Not an easy watch, L’Enfer is an arresting film that acknowledges the unwelcome guest with an utterly successful interpretation of Kieslowski’s artistry.

// COLIN FRASER