Produced, written and directed by Abdellatif Kechiche (The Secret of the Grain and Black Venus), this year’s Palme d’Or winner is an adaptation of Julie Maroh’s graphic novel of the same name. Much of the film’s success can be put down to the raw performances of its two leading ladies, Léa Seydoux and, especially, Adèle Exarchopoulos (who plays a character with the same name).
Adele is a thoughtful high-school girl with a voracious hunger for food and literature. After some coercing from her garrulous pack of friends, she dates senior student Thomas (Jeremie Laheurte). On the way to her date, Adele walks past and exchanges glances with a woman with blue hair, Emma (Seydoux), which sticks with her. However, Emma continues her relationship with Thomas. They have sex. Later Adele feels something missing inside and so breaks up with him. To cheer her up, Adele’s gay male friend takes her along to a gay bar, and she then ends up following a group of girls to a lesbian bar. She gets approached by an older lady, before the blue-haired girl, Emma, comes to the rescue claiming that Adele is her cousin. The two talk and their relationship soon ignites, despite the rejection by Adele’s friends. The deep romance they share completes Adele, but this too soon fades, leaving her with an even bigger void to fill.
While the explicit and extensive sex scenes may be too much for some, they only serve to reflect the intensity of the relationship between the lovers. In all, the enduring image the film leaves you with is not of two beautiful girls cavorting around but the emotional journey of Adele, as her passionate love for Emma first immerses her but then grows cold.
The film’s strongest point is Exarchopoulos’ portrayal of Adele, who grows from an impulsive young student into an older, wiser kindergarten teacher, with Seydoux’s Emma providing the matching chemistry. The character of Adele is also developed through trivial scenes like when she dances to a protest song during a street demonstration. With its no-frills storyline, single-shot scenes and many close-ups, the film gives the audience a ringside seat from which to witness the incredible acting. (Though there are a few plot shifts that could have been handled more subtly.)
The slow-paced narrative spread over almost three hours might frustrate some Hollywood fans, but it rewards those with patience. Blue is the Warmest Color is not a giddy rollercoaster compared to other great dramas, but its combination of natural acting and honest storytelling delivers a more meditational and emotional high.
