Review of Blue Is the Warmest Color (2013) by Jim R — 02 Nov 2013

Delivering on so many levels and going so deep that not only does it not feel like three hours have gone by, but you also feel so attached to Adele that it's hard to let go; much as it was for her. The film tells the story of a high school girl named Adele falling in love with a college student named Emma. It take the viewer along with the couple as they journey through life experiencing ecstatic (and sometimes orgasmic) highs and the most depressing of lows. Its portrayal of love is as honest and mysterious as love itself and both performances from Léa Seydoux and Adèle Exarchopoulos elucidate love beautifully; these performances will go down in cinematic history as some as the finest and most raw and emotional. Portraying absolute unadulterated genuine love on screen is damn near impossible, and this film does just that; firing on all cylinders and delivering the goods all the while.

Abdel Kechiche's direction is pure and honest throughout the film and I believe his unorthodox way of directing is what led to such honesty. As the film was being made, the actresses oftentimes only read through their parts only once due to Kechiche's goal: creating an atmosphere where improvisation was possible. As a direct result of minimal reading of the script, much of the dialogue between Adele and Emma was indeed improvised. Taking risks like this can have many downsides and is very difficult to pull off, but in this film it works, and it works incredibly well. The intimate, real, honest performances are the direct result of the brave and courageous risk taking by Kechiche and his efforts are commendable to say the least. I found myself so attached to the characters by the end of the film that it was hard to leave the theater.

And now for the elephant in the room and the moment you've all been waiting for - the sex scenes. Is there sex in this film? OH ya. Is there a lot of sex in this film? YOU BETCHA. Is the sex between two women? Yep. Were these lengthy and controversial sex scenes necessary? Yes. I honestly believe that the end product of this film would simply not have been what it was without these scenes. One simply not would have become so attached to or intimately entwined with the characters without these scenes, pure and simple.

This is one of the best films I've ever seen. There are only a few directors that have achieved what this film has: Terence Malick, Lars von Trier and Jacques Audiard to name a few. If you haven't picked up on the hint already...GO SEE THIS FILM, you won't be disappointed.