Review for Blue Is The Warmest Colour

Blue is the Warmest Colour tells the love story between Adele and the enigmatic, blue-haired Emma. Adele is your typical teenager, school and boys are all that goes through her mind. After a failed relationship (If you can call it that) and a chance encounter with Emma, she begins to question what she wants in life and love. The film then looks at the complexity of sexuality and love and what 'choosing' can actually mean in one of the most charged sexual films of the year.

Winner of the Cannes Palme D'Or, awarded to Director Abdellatif Kechiche and stars Lea Seydoux and Adele Exarchopoulos this could almost be this generation's Betty Blue. After hearing all the hubbub with most focusing on the extensive lesbian sex scenes I expected this film to be just a number of sex scenes interrupted by plot. This isn't far off what happens, but to describe it as that really doesn't do the film justice.

First, I need to say that stars Lea Seydoux and Adele Exarchopoulos are phenomenal in this film. Exarchopoulos' performance is astounding when you discover this is her debut and had a mix of Beatrice Dalle in Betty Blue and Noomi Rapace in the original Dragon Tattoo adaptations. I found her innocence mesmerizing and though most of her acting involved playing with her hair, everything felt right and if you wanted a depiction of dealing with the confusion of your own sexuality, then I can't think of any other film which portrayed this better.

Seydoux's performance was also great, though if I'm honest I could never figure out what the great attraction to her was for Adele. If the roles had been reversed I could understand Seydoux finding Exarchopoulos utterly gorgeous (as she is), but as the film goes you can understand the connection being more than just physical and the emotional connection they develop is amazing. Though they do askew the whole 'Adele is underage' issue, despite they make it very clear at the beginning (Though maybe age of consent is younger in France?).

It's at this point I need to discuss the elephant in the room: The Lesbian Sex Scenes. These are sexy, sensual and feel very realistic. They are probably only a millimeter away from being pornography, but the way they are all shot is beautiful. Now if you are a prude then this might but you off and it is true that some go on far longer than is necessary. However, there is a feeling that to create the realism of the film Kechiche needed to push this to the extremes. Though at times I felt (especially the first scene) that the character of Adele was almost too expert at what she was doing. This being her first true sexual encounter with another woman I expected a little more direction from Emma as to what to do, but she knew what to do and when. Maybe the sex education if France covers this too?

My only real issue with this film is its length. At just under three hours it is far, far, far too long to tell a story that is this simple. The story is simply girl meets girl, girl loses girl, girl drifts around... The end. There is so much padding in this film that I think you could have shortened this to under two hours without losing anything. The beginning is just boy talk, school stuff and random scenes and by the two hour mark I'm sorry to say, but nothing happens. Those people who say that it is just a random number of sex scenes scattered throughout really need to see the film as it is not. As after the first ninety minutes there isn't anything close to a sex scene and at times it really needed something to make it gel with the first half more.

Extras are a little light, but that can be expected for a film nearly three hours. It would have been better if they had released this as a two disk set with some more behind the scenes things. However, they do include some great stuff. Interviews with Director and Exarchopoulos are nice and give some more insight into the creation of the film. Deleted scenes are fine, though as with most deleted scenes, if you don't give a context 'where they went in the film and why they were cut out' they are just random extra moments that don't really add much or take anything away. Finally, there is a trailer which is fine, but I do think the film is in need of a commentary.

Blue Is The Warmest Colour is an interesting film and certainly worth a watch. If you have just heard the hype about the sex scenes then you may be surprised that there is a complex and sensual film here too. Certainly a film that deserves all the praise it has received and though I feel it may be too long, I can understand why people love it so much.