Review of Blue Is the Warmest Color (2013) by Rmurray847 — 10 Aug 2023

This is a difficult movie in many ways. It is a small, intimate look at the maturation of high school junior Adele (Adele Exarchopoulous) into a young adult. This young lady's growth is seen primarily through her relationships with first a young man one grade higher than her, and then into a year's long, deeply passionate relationship with the older Emma (Léa Seydoux). Set in France, but feeling very universal, there are scenes here of amazing power; you are looking in on two people with deep passions and emotions, and you feel like an eavesdropper. Their conversations and their lovemaking are very real (and explicit). The characters talk over each other (like people do), they aren't always terribly articulate about their feelings (especially young Adele, which is very believable), and honestly, it often feels like the viewer has been given a glimpse of true moments in a real relationship. It's vaguely uncomfortable but often thrilling. Very little about the film feels glossy or calculated; and yet it most certainly is calculated. There are many close-ups, which help us see into the minds of the characters when their words don't suffice. The scenes often go on MUCH longer than any "Hollywood" film would tolerate.

The primary reason to see the film is the incredibly work by Exarchopoulos. This actor won the top award at the Canne film festival, and I don't even need to know what the other possible contenders might have been to know she deserved it. She shared the award with Seydoux, who is also good, but I was always aware she is an actress. Exarchopoulos was something beyond that. The actress herself was not much older than her character (at the beginning), and her youth and unfinished face helped her. But this introverted character says so much with her eyes (and her hair), and the camera roams over her constantly. Amazing.

The film has a reputation for its explicit sex scenes, in particular, one very long scene between the two young ladies. It is indeed quite explicit, and the two actresses were quite brave, I'd say. (I know about some of the controversy afterwards; but still trying to take the film as presented.) But I felt the scene went on too long; it actually became boring. It said what it needed to, and then just kept saying it. There are a few scenes like this in this 3 hour film (Yep, a small, intimate coming-of-age film that's 3 hours long!). In fact, while I appreciated the languid pace of the film overall, the director needed a better grasp on when this length was revelatory and when it was lazy and boring. Late in the film, we see a lot of scenes of Adele teaching class to young children. These scenes are charming, show us how competent Adele is becoming, and frankly, give the film some much needed tiny doses of humor. Yet, there's too much of it.

The best scene in the film comes early on, when Adele is being confronted by her friends about whether she is a lesbian. One of the young ladies, in particular, is very angry. The verbal and then physical battle that ensue were alarming and gripping and felt very raw indeed. I gasped during the scene and at the end, felt wrung out. Other scenes throughout the film have similar heft (Adele debasing herself in her desire for forgiveness), but this one sticks with me.

This film is absolutely worth seeing. While not addressing strictly unique themes nor stylistically ground-breaking, the raw emotion and strong acting are an experience. A journey worth going on.