Blue is the Warmest Color spans roughly 10 years. As it begins, Adele (Adele Exarchopoulos) is a junior in high school and a virgin. Her friends give her a good ribbing about making the jump to womanhood, so to speak, so she does just that with a male classmate who takes an interest in her. Ultimately, she's unfulfilled by that relationship and ends it. A brief fling with a female classmate also ends poorly when the other girl doesn't reciprocate Adele's feelings. But during this period, she briefly makes eye contact with a tomboy-ish, blue-haired young woman in a busy street. It doesn't take long for Adele to become obsessed with finding her again.
Flashing forward an unspecified time later, Adele runs into the blue-haired woman at a lesbian bar and the two strike up a conversation. The woman's name is Emma (Lea Seydoux), and their mutual attraction and shared interest in fine arts lead to a friendship and eventually a steamy love affair. After finishing school, Adele moves in with Emma, becomes a schoolteacher, and serves as a muse for Emma's painting career. But the trials and tribulations of any long-term relationship await, and Adele isn't anywhere near as emotionally mature as her partner. A key mistake by Adele leads to an inevitable confrontation.
Anyone in a theater showing Blue is the Warmest Color is likely aware of how this movie generated so much controversy in its native France. It contains three sex scenes of Adele and Emma, fully naked, contorting their bodies in pretty much every position imaginable. Not only are these scenes unquestionably enough for this movie to earn its NC-17 rating, but the first one is incredibly lengthy. At the Cannes Film Festival, where this movie won the Palm D'Or (the festival's Grand Prize), some critics railed against Kechiche for being misogynistic and exploitative. After all, what do you think of when you imagine lesbian sex scenes filmed by a male director? But there's a larger point to this.
Having seen the entire movie, I argue that since these scenes represent the "honeymoon" phase of the relationship, Kechiche wanted to make sure a sense of white-hot passion, excitement, and discovery is conveyed. It's as stark a contrast as possible compared to what happens later in the movie, when it becomes abundantly clear that Adele is one of those people who craves this phase and wishes it would last forever. But we all know it can't. The hard work and soul-baring that goes with the territory is something she's ill-equipped to handle. Such is life. When I look back on this movie's most memorable scenes, the sex and nudity place second to the two emotionally crushing scenes that come later (one where Emma confronts Adele and another when the two meet later at a restaurant).
Blue is the Warmest Color missed the deadline for consideration for Best Foreign Film at the Academy Awards, and it's likely that its big star will sadly miss out on a nomination as well. Simply put, Adele Exarchopoulos is extraordinary. She nails every one of her character's emotional highs and lows, even in scenes devoid of dialogue. Lea Seydoux (probably last seen by American audiences as the woman Owen Wilson ends up with at the end of Midnight in Paris) is every bit as impressive, although her role isn't as large. This is Exarchopoulos' film; she's literally in every scene and has us caring about her from the outset. I can throw out all the usual superlatives commending the two actresses for their bravery in baring their bodies, but what's more impressive is the way they bare their souls.
Director Abdellatif Kechiche is a man with a master plan when it comes to presenting this lengthy coming-of-age tale. He establishes the tone early with abundant close-ups (particularly of facial features), long takes, and vivid colors. We feel closer to Adele and Emma not just because the movie takes its time, but because Kechiche's camera literally puts us closer. Exarchopoulous and Seydoux may have lashed out at him in interviews for being too much of a taskmaster (some scenes required as many as 100 takes), but while they may have a point, the work of all three ultimately speaks for itself.
And so comes the million-dollar question that faces every three-hour movie: is it too long? In this case, probably, but not by much. Some individual scenes and conversations drag more than necessary. And those who are only seeing this movie for hot sex may want to reconsider. Within the total running time of 180 minutes, maybe 10 to 12 feature female nudity. Not a promising ratio if that's what you're after. A lot has to happen before the movie even reaches Adele and Emma first meeting. The first hour or so unhurriedly depicts Adele's high school and home life, and both are key to understanding who she is and what makes her tick.
It goes without saying that Blue is the Warmest Color is for adventurous moviegoers only. I stayed in my seat engrossed by the experience, and it will stick with me for a good long while, but those who don't appreciate movies driven by character development and dialogue will not feel the same way. In spite of the lesbian angle, this is thankfully not a movie with a political agenda, either. It's about relationships, love vs lust, and emotions (much like Brokeback Mountain, a good analog for this). The controversy surrounding this movie, as far as I'm concerned, just raises awareness, and that's a good thing because it draws in more viewers to a truthful film that might not otherwise have ensnared them.
Rating: ***1/2 (out of ****)
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