Mice!

The plot point about mice in Julie’s apartment feels like a short film within the film. It’s a microcosm of her beliefs and actions, one that faces off her innate fears with her maternal instincts.

Julie returns home from the market, where she apparently bought nothing but a bag of oranges and eight liter bottles of water. She goes to put the water in her pantry and notices something is off … a box has holes in it, something’s been gnawing at it. She sees something move and stomps at it, but quickly retreats to the kitchen. She grabs a broom and returns and, bravely for her, turns the light on.

She finds on the floor a litter of baby mice, it looks like four total. The mother mouse then emerges as well. Julie bends down to stair with a combination of terror and fascination, then closes the pantry door behind her.

What would you expect Julie to do in such a situation? Try to find a new apartment, of course! She goes back to the apartment locator who found the place and he asks if something is wrong. She says no, she would like to find an apartment exactly like it. He says it will take awhile, maybe three months. Julie then notices a scratch on his face, he tells her that his cat nicked him.

The mouse story will continue a few scenes later, but this seems like a good point to jump off for the day. Next, Julie pays a visit to her mother, in a rest home and suffering from dementia, in another scene where Kieslowski gives depth to a small role by casting someone with a deep connection to film lovers.