Review of Blue Is the Warmest Color (2013) by Nathan M — 09 Dec 2013
While yes, it is not for the frigid at heart, "Blue" is one of the most tender and transfixing presentations of a human relationship I have yet seen, with a secure matrix of dramatic and technical mastery beneath its smoothly curving skin.
While it sounds lazy on the part of your critic here, I can't really think of any cons to the film. I was disappointed in some of the turns that befell the characters, but that just makes the story more grounded and real, in my view.
The film benefits from its fearless craft and entrancing performances. It is erotic, and decidedly so. But sensationalism aside, the sex is simply a natural progression from the blindingly human relationship that develops between the two main characters. The sex scenes are well within the line of taste, even if they are explicit. Adele Exarchopoulos in particular has the essence of "girl adrift in the torrents of desire and youth" down. More than just a "lesbian piece," this film is about the emotional roller coaster that is any sexual human relationship. Particular questions explored include: "What can a lie set off?" and "What is the distinction between the purposes of a muse and a life partner? Which one was Adele?".
It is also one of the only specimens of queer cinema that I have experienced that doesn't end in tragedy. There's no HIV, rape, or murder anywhere to be found! I am so sick of having every acclaimed queer drama end tragically and I'm not even a huge patron of queer cinema.
The multicultural profile of modern France is also bravely emphasized in the face of France's historical reluctance to be accepting of other cultures. The juxtaposition of the relatively advanced growth in acceptance of other heritages to the sluggish status of homosexual acceptance in French society is topical in the contemporary battle for marriage equality in the United States and in other parts of the world.
The film is is also very well shot. The bold length serves as an ultra-stable keel for the dramatic dynamism of the story to develop upon.
Put simply, I was engrossed and it is the first film of 2013 that I wasn't at all disappointed in. (26 November 2013).
This review of Blue Is the Warmest Color (2013) was written by Nathan M on 09 Dec 2013.
Blue Is the Warmest Color has generally received very positive reviews.
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