Winner of the coveted Palme d'Or and Best Director (Abdellatif Kechiche) at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival, BLUE IS THE WARMEST COLOR has also made history when the movie awarded two of the actresses (Adele Exarchopoulos and Lea Seydoux) for the first time ever in the history of Cannes.
WHAT IS IT ALL ABOUT?
The movie centers on a 15-year-old high school student Adele (Adele Exarchopoulos) who has a particular passion for literature. Following a short-lived romance with handsome classmate Thomas (Jeremie Laheurte), Adele soon finds herself she has more feelings for women especially after she meets a blue-haired fine arts student named Emma (Lea Seydoux) at a lesbian bar. Both of them eventually become lovers. At the beginning, their relationship is fulfilling but as years goes by with Adele becoming a kindergarten teacher, everything starts to feel different than they used to be.
THE GOOD STUFF
Director Abdellatif Kechiche's penchant for relentless close-ups, as well as his attention to detail is visually captivating. The story -- adapted from Julie Maroh's Le Bleu est une couleur chaude comic book -- is equally stunning where Kechiche embraces the lesbian theme with the utmost passionate and heartfelt manner.
But the movie, of course, is best remembered for its few graphic sex scenes where Kechiche is daring enough to push the boundaries of the NC-17 rating. Equally remarkable as well are the two central performances from Adele Exarchopoulos and Lea Seydoux. Exarchopoulos, in particular, is tour de force especially the way she conveys her varied emotion beneath her shy-looking exterior.
MOST MEMORABLE MOMENT(S)
The first sexual encounter between Adele and Emma -- one of the most explicit and passionate sex scenes ever put into film.
THE BAD STUFF
At three hours long, the movie can be a test of patience to watch this in one sitting. Not surprisingly, most of the scenes feel unnecessarily overlong. It is understandable that Abdellatif Kechiche wants to unfold his movie as naturalistic as possible, but it would be more appreciated if he practices a sense of restraint with a little cinematic term called "editing".
FINAL WORDS
While BLUE IS THE WARMEST COLOR isn't exactly a masterpiece at all, this French lesbian drama remains one of the best movies of the year.
WHAT IS IT ALL ABOUT?
The movie centers on a 15-year-old high school student Adele (Adele Exarchopoulos) who has a particular passion for literature. Following a short-lived romance with handsome classmate Thomas (Jeremie Laheurte), Adele soon finds herself she has more feelings for women especially after she meets a blue-haired fine arts student named Emma (Lea Seydoux) at a lesbian bar. Both of them eventually become lovers. At the beginning, their relationship is fulfilling but as years goes by with Adele becoming a kindergarten teacher, everything starts to feel different than they used to be.
THE GOOD STUFF
Director Abdellatif Kechiche's penchant for relentless close-ups, as well as his attention to detail is visually captivating. The story -- adapted from Julie Maroh's Le Bleu est une couleur chaude comic book -- is equally stunning where Kechiche embraces the lesbian theme with the utmost passionate and heartfelt manner.
But the movie, of course, is best remembered for its few graphic sex scenes where Kechiche is daring enough to push the boundaries of the NC-17 rating. Equally remarkable as well are the two central performances from Adele Exarchopoulos and Lea Seydoux. Exarchopoulos, in particular, is tour de force especially the way she conveys her varied emotion beneath her shy-looking exterior.
MOST MEMORABLE MOMENT(S)
The first sexual encounter between Adele and Emma -- one of the most explicit and passionate sex scenes ever put into film.
THE BAD STUFF
At three hours long, the movie can be a test of patience to watch this in one sitting. Not surprisingly, most of the scenes feel unnecessarily overlong. It is understandable that Abdellatif Kechiche wants to unfold his movie as naturalistic as possible, but it would be more appreciated if he practices a sense of restraint with a little cinematic term called "editing".
FINAL WORDS
While BLUE IS THE WARMEST COLOR isn't exactly a masterpiece at all, this French lesbian drama remains one of the best movies of the year.