Dir. Abdellatif Kechiche
187 Minutes
Rated NC-17
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Since its premiere at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival, Blue is the Warmest Color has gathered a swarm of controversy. The film, from French director Abdellatif Kechiche (don't ask me how to pronounce that), is basically a coming-of-age/sexual awakening story from the perspective of high schooler Adele (played by Adele Exarchopoulos, in her feature film debut), who just can't connect sexually to the boys around her. But then enters the blue-haired Emma (Lea Seydoux), whom Adele meets at a lesbian bar and slowly they become the object of each other's affection. The film, being the first at Cannes to ever be awarded the coveted Palme d'Or for both its director and lead actresses, has received positive and negative criticism for its depictions of no-holds-barred, hardcore lesbian sex. Coming from a straight-male director, and one that apparently treated his actresses badly on set, some have said that the film comes off as voyeuristic and exploitative, while others have touted it as a daring, artful masterpiece. I personally think that the sex (which is basically as graphic as pornography) shouldn't overshadow the brilliant performances from the leading actresses, which is really where the film shines.
To get it out of the way, although it didn't totally hinder my overall feelings of the film, I did have a problem with the sex scenes. First off, they don't feel as though they come from the same place as the rest of the film. Much of the story is told exclusively from the point of view of Adele, through extreme close-ups and an often-roving camera, and she hits every emotional mark perfectly. Her development throughout the film is astounding, from a child-like virgin to a woman who has had multiple lovers and her heart repeatedly broken, Exarchopoulos's face alone is enough to hold the film together (in fact the director allegedly casted her because of the vivacious way in which she eats). But that very close, personal feeling is totally vacant during the sex scenes, which feel completely clinical. It felt almost like I was flipping through a textbook of lesbian sex positions; they didn't advance the plot and they lasted way too long. I understand that the director probably wanted to achieve something different with these 2.5 very un-Hollywood love scenes (without crossfades, soft focuses, or even a music score), but to me it came off as pointless. This nearly 3 hour film could have been cut down to two easily. I didn't need to know every which way these two women scissored each other to get a grasp on the deep meaning of their relationship.
The film also spends a lot of time in distracting self-analysis, bringing up philosophers and artists to simply explain everything that's happening in the least subtle way possible. The beginning of the film takes place in Adele's classroom, where the students are reading a passage out of a book talking about what it means to be a woman, a conversation at a dinner party has a man talking about how men view women, and Emma talks about the philosophy of Sartre as if to place neatly exactly into the hands of the audience what we're supposed to think about the film. Even the food had to be sexual metaphors (with Emma teaching Adele to expand her horizons and enjoy eating clams...one of the most vagina-looking foods imaginable).
While I think much of the film is flawed (or maybe just not my cup of tea), I do think the two leading ladies are absolutely fantastic, and in a way that is really what mattered most for the film. This is a star-turn for Exarchopoulos: she's beautiful to look at (considering all the close-ups, you need to like looking at her face or this will be a long movie for you), she brings so many layers to her performance, and when she is upset she goes all out, complete with a "Blair Witch" tears-and-snot combo. And Seydoux is also a great presence bringing an assuredness and coolness within the character (who is older than Adele), to guide us - in Adele's point of view - along this emotional journey. So while I have to commend the girls on bringing one of the most fresh, subtle, and honest relationships to hit the screen this year, the overall movie was a bit of a slog, and somehow managed to make graphic, hardcore sex boring (once the shock value of it wears off, to me, it truly just wastes time).
Rating: B-
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