All smiles: Lea Seydoux (left), director Abdellatif Kechiche and Adele Exarchopoulos in Cannes. When her openly gay best friend takes her out on the town, she . Someone comes up to Emma and says "what a pick up artist!". But I'm also looking forward to hearing what other women will think about it. Blue Is the Warmest Colour ( French: La Vie d'Adle - Chapitres 1 & 2; French pronunciation: [la vi dadl apit ne d]) is a 2013 romance film co-written, co-produced, and directed by Abdellatif Kechiche and starring La Seydoux and Adle Exarchopoulos. One thing I adore about this movie, (and something it is often criticized for) is how it doesnt force a plot on the viewer by scene after scene of implausible exposition. For Kechiche, this technique not only facilitates editing but also adds beauty to the scene that feels more truthful. The two girls that confront Adele about whether she is a lesbian are the same two girls who coerced her into checking out Thomas, dating Thomas and having sex with Thomas. This post was published on the now-closed HuffPost Contributor platform. . It's about everyday people, and banal scenes like the family dinner at Adle's housefilmed with such care and intimate, close up cameraworkmade me think this could very easily be my life, and that the same question applies to both me and Adle: "Who wants to sit around risking nothing, feeling neither pleasure nor pain?". Adele watches this situation from a few feet away. "[91], The film received LGBT and feminist criticism for the perceived dominance of the male gaze and lack of female gaze, with some reviewers calling it a "patriarchal gaze. For me, a shoot is a human adventure, and in every adventure you have some conflict. The public feud between the Palme D'Or winners, however, was to have a few more twists. After the opening credits rolled, I tried to figure out what I'd been scared of. seriously?) Often, my go-to is the timewhile attending university in a grim coastal townthat I got my head kicked in outside a club by a balding, middle-aged thug in front of my then girlfriend. Kechiche felt that Seydoux "shared her character's beauty, voice, intelligence and freedom" and that she has "something of an Arabic soul". Perhaps, there will be other women but, I have that type of trust in Emma that tells me she will continue to grow and create and be as kind as she can to whoever is in her life. [100] In December 2013, it received the Louis Delluc Prize for best French film. I felt like a prostitute. 1, 2 and 3. As with many male fantasies of lesbianism, the film centers on the erotic success and affective failures of relations between women". And among the only people we didn't hear giggling were the potential guys too busy feasting their eyes on an incarnation of their fantasies on screen". Now, Emma, the bohemian stranger, creeps up in Adle's dreams, haunting her late-night fantasies. Kechiche is 52. To me, she said: ''I don't know whether it has really changed me, but it's made me develop and grow. HI!! Viewers who come alive when French is spoken -- and lament the American inability to emulate that je ne sais quoi sensibility, the light-yet-profound examination of corners of human existence large and small -- will find Blue intimately compelling, even transporting, as it unhurriedly unfolds its tale of intellectual and artistic striving, sexual communion and the indelible impact of first love. Needless to say, I was pretty frustrated when the movie ended. In Brazil, as of 2014, Blu-ray manufacturing companies Sonopress and Sony DADC were refusing to produce the film because of its content. The gay and queer people laughed because it's not convincing, and found it ridiculous. Emma acknowledges Adle but is focused on Lise and the other guests. But the concept was only finalized a few years later when Kechiche chanced upon Maroh's graphic novel and he saw how he could link his screenplay about a schoolteacher with Maroh's love story between two young women. My nether regions swelled up to grapefruit-like proportions and I degenerated into a state of dehydrated delirium, a sweat-bathed figure talking in nonsensical riddles and vomiting for a fortnight at my mum's house. This isn't a film about super heroes, mafia bosses, or Wall Street traders. We want the fun of flirting followed by the endorphin rush of sex. Adle's pain is heart breaking to witness because it is born from the joy she felt when things were going well. Hell, even Lise would have to say that their relationship is based on rocky foundations sooner or later, and Emma would sooner or later notice that her materialistic lifestyle with a little girl whos just going to grow up to embrace it is pretty fucking empty no one would want to stay in that relationship. Their relationship grows tense as they have little in common. It's better than being called 'tyrant' or 'despot','' he snapped back. Although the ending is not clearly define, its just how Kechiche wants to leave it. That was at the end of May. Create a free website or blog at WordPress.com. 2. [106] This was also the first film adapted from a graphic novel or a comic to win the Palme d'Or. [51] In August 2013, the film had its North American premiere at the 2013 Telluride Film Festival. I have some questions about an incident in the final gallery scene that I have not seen addressed anywhere else. In the meantime, thanks for allowing me a soapbox for my rants, Hong. But when it ended, I was like.. Life is such and Adele got what she deserved ..or not, depending on my mood. Adle is a high school student who is beginning to explore herself as a woman. Cinematographer Sofian El Fani used the Canon EOS C300 camera with Angnieux zoom lenses, and the entire production was undertaken in a digital workflow. I guess the pacing comes down to personal tastes, but I am relieved when it isnt apparent I a movie that the makers have just followed the script from that awful screenwriters manual. Samir discusses America with Adle while the others discuss sex, and the two become friends. In part, he said, he wanted to recapture for himself that age ''when we build each other, we are building our own personality and the way we are going to be as adults''. He himself has admitted to being pessimistic in interviews. Gay or straight, if we lose someone and want them back, we will do whatever we canwe will forfeit our dignity, if that's what it takes. He could ''retrieve the young man I was at one point'', but he also wanted to mark the point of generational change. Adle is happy with her job as a kindergarten teacher but has not moved on: she is still deeply in love with Emma. Source: Tumblr posts and others indicated. The fact that he omitted so much exposition means that theres no motivation for the characters to have the obviously-intense feelings they have. But the saga has left Kechiche feeling deflated. Kechiche shouldnt arbitrarily make the ending an exception to this trend. 3.It cannily reveals the charms and dangers of loving an artist. He wrote: "Kechiche's film is three hours long, and the only problem with that running time is that I could have happily watched it for another seven. I think that is nuts, to me the fact that she can go from teenage-girl blank to totally ecstatic, or totally devastated within the same story is a marvel. If he thinks Adele finds happiness, he should show it, since the rest of the film is about Adeles life and her ways of dealing with various problems. It traces their affair from flirtation through a bitter break-up and its melancholy aftermath with such force of feeling that you seem to be living their lives yourself. ''Fine! [74], In The Daily Telegraph, Robbie Collin awarded the film a maximum of five stars and tipped it to win the Palme d'Or. By entering your email and clicking Sign Up, you're agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. Sometimes you could spend like five hours on a scene. Not plot. This movie was considered controversial due to its erotic scenes and taboo storyline. Despite the critical praise the movie received in 2013, its release was somewhat overshadowed by controversies over its production. ''How indecent to talk about pain when doing one of the best jobs in the world!'' With breakout performances the film follows the emotional love affair between two young women. , This Is Not Lesbian Pornography: Blue Is The Warmest Color,Defended, What the Critics Are Saying AboutBlue Is the Warmest Colors SexScene, Aperu: Rencontre avec Adle Exarchopoulos et LaSeydoux, Cinema TV La Vie DAdle Blue is the WarmestColor, Interview de La Seydoux, Adle Exarchopoulos et AbdellatifKechiche. [81] Several critics considered the film the front-runner to win the Palme d'Or. [39] Exarchopoulos later said of the rift: "It was real, but it was not as big as it looks. He also looks at how food can be indicative of social class. I think I would feel less satisfied with an ending that closed the circle on a story. At least for now, she has to turn her back on Emma, and face the world with a clean start. There is no question that making Blue is the Warmest Colour was intense, immersive and extremely demanding, especially for Exarchopoulos, who was only 18 and dropped out of school to make the film. Emma goes to a gushing young fan with a huge smile and long dark hair. The blue hair signifies the stages of Emma and Adele relationship. Emma belittles Adle's career but encourages her to pursue writing, while Adle insists she is happy the way she is. She tells Adle that she no longer loves her, but that their relationship was special and she will always have "infinite tenderness" for her. I believe he cares a lot of his movie, but not so much for the actresses! Its real. Blue Is the Warmest Color: How Much Sex Is Too MuchSex? We dont know what the future holds for Adele, for Emma and for their relationship; it is frustrating for me . I respect your opinion, Hong, and I thank you for tolerating mine so far, but I cannot say that this ending is good anymore. Significant plot points and character motivations that should have been explored (you seriously expect us to believe CLASS DIFFERENCES were what drove them apart, Kechiche? Due to the films structure and due to common-sense notions about how humans actually operate, there shouldnt be an ambiguous ending. When Adle and Emma first meet in a Lille bar there's an immediate energy and spark. Hi Hong, thank you for creating this wonderful space where we can process the intense feelings that this movie elicits. Halcyon Daze. It received a standing ovation and ranked highest in critics' polls at the festival. In the movie it shows the progression of two characters who are go through pursuit of love, sex, and career ambition. Their duration alone is exceptional, as is their emphasis on the physical struggle, the passionate and uninhibited athleticism of sex, the profound marking of the characters' souls by their sexual relationship. Under license from Universal Music Vision. But its too much feeling, and just because its feeling-based or off-script or improvised doesnt mean Kechiche has to avoid basic elements of how to tell a story. Blue straddles the divide between art film and erotica with a specificity previously unseen, but while its sex scenes are far longer than viewers of nonpornographic movies are accustomed to, and the actresses wholeheartedly throw themselves into them, the auteur's hand cannot be completely removed from our experience of the film. So overwhelmed were the members of the Cannes jury that they decided to give the Palme D'Or not only to the director, but, in an unprecedented move, to the two actresses, Lea Seydoux and Adele Exarchopoulos, as well. Then for a time I really resented the ending, kind of feeling like you RC just let down. Finally, I recall when I had mumps in my early 20s. ''On one side are obsessive perfectionists, on the other self-involved exhibitionists, or so the theory goes.'' It's healthy. "[40] In a January 2014 interview, Seydoux clarified: "I'm still very happy with this film. An interviewer for The Guardian saw Exarchopoulos greet Kechiche warmly in the corridor as they went to their respective interview rooms and asked whether the feud had been exaggerated. Emma and Adle become friends. This fan appears very enamored of Emma. Exquisitely. It cannily reveals the charms and dangers of loving an artist. Almost certainly, but with the added spice of Frenchness. Adle later leaves and enters a lesbian bar, where some women flirt with her. By the end of September, after another triumphant outing at the Toronto Film Festival, Kechiche was telling the press the film should never be released because it was ''too sullied'' and it would be impossible for anyone to view the film ''with a clean heart and a watchful eye''. Living in the massive cesspool of ambition, greed, and "luxury apartments" that is London, everyone is obsessed with their jobs, their friends, and their incredibly important lives. [42][43], The camerawork and many of Kechiche's directorial decisions give the film a true-to-life feel, which has led audiences to read meaning into it that they derive from their personal experiences. "Blue . (LogOut/ However I was alright with this ending artistically. The stories about him, he told French magazine Telerama, had left him feeling ''humiliated, disgraced. Adele realizes that she does not belong in this world of pretense and it breaks her heart she almost breaks down again in the corner just before Samir connects with her. Lesbian sexuality is one of the film's primary themes, as the narrative deals with Adle's exploration of her identity in this context. The ending isnt great if you are looking for a definite ending for Adele. I like to be tested. As she is walking away on that street with those evocative gently popping sounds floating along with her, like the sound that would be made if every time a soap bubble popped it made a gentle ringing tingle, I can imagine the beginning of another chapter for Adele, another journey, perhaps this one will be less fierce, less passionate, but perhaps she will happier, and content at the end of this one. We see her struggles and we see her attempts to work through them. [4] Further criticism targeted disrupted working patterns and salaries. Toward the film's end, when Adle desperately tries to seduce Emma in an empty bar, begging in vain to rekindle their sexual and emotional connection, it becomes ever clear that this film really isn't about sexual orientation. She is happy with her blue is the warmest color ending explained as a woman joy she felt things. Alright with this film ranked highest in critics ' polls at the Festival adventure have. 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