Blue is the Warmest Color Review

Blue is the Warmest Color

3.5 stars out of 4

By Brett Takeshita

A 3-hour, NC-17 rated, French lesbian drama. As a film, could you possibly have more going against you? All the odds are stacked against Blue is the Warmest Color, but no subtitles or explicit 10-minute sex scenes should steer you away from one of the year's best films. 

We are introduced to Adele (Adele Exarchopoulos), a beautiful and troubled high school student who cannot fully understand -- or accept -- herself. After her peers question why she doesn't go out on dates, Adele begins seeing Thomas (Jeremie Laheurte), one of the most popular guys in school. He truly loves her, but she doesn't have the same feelings for him. One day, Adele crosses paths with the blue-haired college art student named Emma (Lea Seydoux), and for Adele, it is love at first sight. Adele doesn't understand why she has sexual dreams about Emma and tries to rid the mysterious woman from her mind. However, once the two girls actually meet and bond, things become much more complicated. So sets off Adele's complex journey of love and self-discovery through her relationship with Emma.

While I haven't seen a ton of LGBT films, I am going to declare Blue is the Warmest Color as the best I have ever seen. And no, it's not because of the steamy sex scenes. Blue tells a story that is so human and so relatable to anyone who has ever experienced love, or who has struggled to discover who he or she is. This wonderful film is not just for LGBT audiences. It is a beautiful, powerful, and moving story that anyone with a soul can appreciate. 

Director Abdellatif Keciche, who co-wrote the script with Ghalia Lacroix, tells this beautiful story with a simplicity that is unparalleled. We truly observe every aspect of Adele's life, from the exciting to the mundane. We watch her eat delicious foods and sleep after a difficult day at school. We see her dance around with her friends, and we see her sitting on a bus as she travels. We, as an audience, are allowed to see the world through Adele's eyes. While this sounds boring, Blue is far from it. The three hours actually move by rather quickly because Adele's story is so absorbing. Keciche chose to shoot most of the movie in tight close-ups, so that we only see Adele and Emma's faces. The outside world is blurred, for Emma truly is the only thing that matters to Adele. It is a gorgeous and intimate technique that allows us to step into our protagonist's shoes unlike any other film.

Aside from the extreme sexuality of the film, which happens to be entirely germane to telling this story, Keciche is quite subtle. There is hardly any music in the film, and there isn't anything that bashes us in the head to think or feel a certain way. Keciche allows the drama of the story at hand to unfold in the most complex and surprising ways. Don't be shocked if you find yourself overwhelmed and exhausted by the film's end. Blue is the Warmest Color increases in intensity with each passing moment. I was often exhilarated by the juicy drama. This film stirred within me intense emotion that is rare in most films.

With Blue, we have found a star in Adele Exarchopoulos. She is only 20 years old, but she possesses the talent of someone who is triple her age. This is some of the most naturalistic and stunningly absorbing acting I have ever seen. The way that we can feel each and every emotion that Adele is experiencing simply because of Exarchopoulos' dedication to the role is stunning. This is also one of the bravest performances of the year. She bares everything, from her soul to her body, in this film, with the camera always lingering on her for three full hours. And yet, it never appears that she is acting. She is living and breathing her character. Exarchopoulos deserves an Oscar nomination for this film. I truly hope that the Academy doesn't pass her up for Best Actress.

Lea Seydoux is a tremendous supporting actress in this film. She has such a magnetic screen presence and also delivers a performance with extraordinary grace and depth. Her chemistry with Exarchopoulos is insanely believable. These two actresses together generate pure electricity that is all too rare in today's movies.

The film is just short of masterpiece-status in that the second half of the film (which I won't say what happens) isn't quite as strong as the first half. Trust me when I say that the second half has some masterful and extremely intense moments, but I found the introduction to Adele's world to be endlessly fascinating. Perhaps a slightly shorter running time could have evened out the two halves, but again, the running time didn't really phase me. When you have a story that is this compelling and acting that is this extraordinary, the outside world doesn't matter. For three hours, I was sucked into Adele's world and was completely wrapped up in it. I felt empty leaving it behind. Blue is the Warmest Color is a film I won't be forgetting anytime soon.