Blue Is the Warmest Color (2013)

Directed by: Abdellatif Kechiche
Country: France / others

Movie Review: Very few films about search of identity and sexual orientation were so raw, intense, and sharp as “Blue is The Warmest Color”, a three-hour drama directed by the acclaimed Tunisian filmmaker Abdellatif Kechiche. The film, Palme D’Or at Cannes, evinces a steady but very commendable pace without never losing direction or slacking intensity on the detailed occurrences it tries to emphasize. Through a completely new approach and uncountable close-ups, the director was able to extract the exact feelings and expressions from the characters, creating the appropriated levels of intimacy. But this was not achieved without some controversy, since actresses Adéle Exarchopoulos and Lea Seydoux affirm they won’t work again with Kechiche, accusing him of moral harassment during the shooting of the film. Polemics aside, the truth is that every single minute felt very real, and none of the protagonists faltered even once. Adèle’s shyness, sweetness, and sadness were very well depicted, and her concern and affliction after a failed sexual experience with a male classmate was totally convincing. With an interesting dramatic side, “Blue Is The Warmest Color” stands above many other films with the same thematic, only sinning due to its overlong duration. Some will love it and say it was thoroughly designed, some will hate it and refute that sex was overmuch explicit… For me this is a great achievement of modern French cinema, portrayed with honesty and relying on an admirable ending.