Léa Seydoux
Adèle Exarchopoulos

Abdellatif Kechiche
Ghalia Lacroix

179 mins.
Drama, Romance, Foreign
October 25, 2013

Rated NC-17 for explicit sexual content. (MPAA)

“Blue is the Warmest Color (La vie d’Adèle),” based on a 2010 French graphic novel of the same name by Julie March, was the unanimous winner of the 2013 Palme D’Or at Cannes awarded by a Steven-Spielberg-led Jury not only to director Abdellatif Kechiche, which is customary, but also to its stars, Adèle Exarchopoulos and Léa Seydoux. This the first time that actors have won the Palme D’Or. Since the winner of the Palme D’Or cannot receive any additional awards, this was a way for the Jury to recognize the stars of the film, as well. But did they get it right? Similarly, most critics fell over themselves to applaud the film in 2013. But, again, did they get it right?

This is a three-hour film. That’s three hours of reading subtitles, unless you know French. Gulp. And it’s explicit, very explicit (it received an NC-17 rating in this country), so don’t be surprised. It’s frank in all ways (not just sexually), but it earns those moments. Frank? Yes. Abrasive? No. Fully open and honest may be a better way to say it. There are moments that straddle the line of pornography, but they have meaning. Instead of cutting away from the love-making, this film shows it all. This can be a bit unsettling, especially if you’re not ready for it. But cinema and art in general, for that matter, will put us on the edge sometimes. I wasn’t offended by it; but if the thought of watching frank sex acts offends you, you may want to skip this or watch it at home and be ready to fast-forward.

The first sexual encounter between the two leads, a little over an hour into the film, is the most explicit by far. But this film is not exploitative; it’s intimate. The explicit moments serve the story. It’s not about the sex; it’s about what those moments say about the characters (especially the central character, Adèle). Also, those moments don’t represent the film as a whole. It’s much more than that, both in content and in spirit.

Essentially, “Blue is the Warmest Color” is about a teenaged girl’s sexual awakening. (She’s a junior in high school at the beginning of the film.) Early on, she (Adèle) falls for another girl (a classmate of hers). This happens after the classmate kisses her; but Adèle misinterprets the action, leading to an awkward moment between the two during the next day at school. Later on, at a bar she wanders into, she encounters Emma, a lesbian woman (not a teen) with blue hair, whom she saw in passing earlier in the film and dreamed about. Emma is an artist in her fourth year of study at college. Things progress from there and span several years. The question is: Is Adèle a lesbian, bisexual, or does she just have an attraction to Emma? She seems to have an interest in men, as well. We don’t know whether that’s because of societal pressures, natural impulses, or a mixture of the two. Regardless of that, the point is that sexuality is at the core of who we are. If we’re afraid or unsure of that, then what does that mean about how we view ourselves?

Adèle is certainly unsure of where she fits. She senses that she’s not quite like her friends: Just check out, at the beginning of the film, the scene of her at lunch with her friends as they tell her that a “cute guy,” whom she eventually dates and all the rest, is into her. Later on, she admits that she feels like she’s faking it with him and that it’s her fault, not his: “He’s not the problem. I’m missing (i.e. lacking) something. I’m all messed up. I’m crazy.” He seems to be a good guy, too.

At its beginning, “Blue is the Warmest Color” includes in-class discussions of literature to introduce philosophical points – a smart decision because there’s a light touch to that introduction, not a heavy-handed one. This lays the foundation for some of the conversations between Adèle and Emma, which don’t seem unrealistic as a result. Those conversations also extend to art, self-fulfillment, and more. I didn’t question why Emma found Adèle interesting, despite Adèle’s youth and inexperience. Adèle is a thinker, but not a precocious one. Her thoughts are perceptive, yet believable. But these two are of different worlds, not just different ages.

This film has energy. It just feels fresh, thankfully so, because it’s (again) three hours long (almost as long as this review). It can be gentle one moment, and raw the next. These filmmakers understand rhythm and pacing. Thank God! The dialogue flows perfectly and realistically. And the camera closes into the characters, jumps back, and shifts its focus throughout each scene. At the beginning, this allows the viewer to get inside of the mind of a teenager. Nothing is settled; everything is undecided. The close-ups show her fragility, her bewilderment at times. It’s very effective.

Furthermore, there’s a freedom expressed in the visuals: Just take a look at the scene when Adèle and her parents have spaghetti dinner together. The camera is right in their faces as they eat and drink without any regard to politeness. This is a family eating together, in private. The sounds of that meal are expertly highlighted.

The actors all come across authentically as teens and young adults. I don’t know how much of the dialogue was written or improvised, but it all rings true. Even in subtitled films, you can tell when the dialogue and acting work. This makes me remember how it FELT to be that age. Keep in mind that this film spans several years without directly announcing the advancement of time. You have to pay attention to catch on.

Sometimes, good art can help us see the commonalities that we share with people who seem different from us. It can lead to understanding and tolerance. I don’t know what it’s like to be gay or a lesbian, but this film makes that experience understandable, in a way. Adèle’s journey is the audience’s journey. I guess that’s another explanation for the explicit moments: We experience what she experiences; there are no boundaries.

So did the Jury at Cannes and the overwhelming majority of critics get it right? Yes, they did. The lead actresses are superb, especially Exarchopoulos as Adèle. This is her film to carry and she does so with an effortless vulnerability, which supports Adèle’s tendency to always be on the periphery. She and Seydoux, as Emma, give brave, fearless, and honest performances. I hope that I can be as honest in my work, as well. This is a film that sticks to you. I was blown-away.

Verdict: Great

About: (Source: ifcfilms.com/blue-is-the-warmest-color)

The sensation of the Cannes Film Festival and the most controversial film of the year, Blue is the Warmest Color made cinema history as the first film ever awarded the Palme d’Or to both its director and its actresses. In a star-making role, Adèle Exarchopoulos is Adèle, a passionate young woman who has a yearning she doesn’t quite understand until a chance encounter with the blue-haired Emma ignites a flame and brings her to life. Léa Seydoux (Midnight in Paris) gives a fearless performance as Emma, the older woman who excites Adèle’s desire and becomes the love of her life. Abdellatif Kechiche’s (The Secret of the Grain) intimate epic of tenderness and passion charts their relationship over the course of several years, from the ecstasy of a first kiss to the agony of heartbreak. Pulsing with gestures, embraces, furtive exchanges, and arias of joy and devastation, Blue is the Warmest Color is a profoundly moving hymn to both love and life.