It received a standing ovation and ranked highest in critics' polls at the festival. [88][89], Conversely, Richard Brody, writing in The New Yorker about "Sex Scenes That Are Too Good", stated: "The problem with Kechiche's scenes is that they're too good—too unusual, too challenging, too original—to be assimilated ... to the familiar moviegoing experience. He spends cozy evenings with Charlotte, the ex-girlfriend of Tony, his Casanova cousin. Lea Seydoux plays Emma. [80][81][82][83] The judging panel, which included Steven Spielberg, Ang Lee, and Nicole Kidman, made an unprecedented move to award the Palme d'Or to the film's two main actresses along with the director. [8] Much of the controversy was about claims of poor working conditions on set by the crew and the lead actresses, and also the film's raw depiction of sexuality. "[43], Blue Is the Warmest Colour is also filled with visual symbolism. After having vivid fantasies about the woman she saw on the street and having one of her female friends kiss her, she becomes troubled about her sexual identity. Emma comes home late having spent an evening with Lise apparently working on a maquette. Adèle's friends suspect her of being a lesbian when Emma shows up at the school gates, and they ostracise. This intense and emotionally draining story of a lesbian relationship has caused much controversy. Search for "Blue Is the Warmest Colour" on Amazon.com, Title: [62] As Blue Is the Warmest Colour, the film was also released on DVD and Blu-ray Disc in Canada on 25 February 2014 by Mongrel Media, in the United Kingdom on 17 March 2014 by Artificial Eye and on 18 June 2014, in Australia by Transmission Films. The film charts their relationship from Adèle's high school years to her early adult life and career as a school teacher. It really helps that the actresses are so perfect. He brings the camera so close to the faces of his actresses that he seems to be trying to make their flesh more familiar to us than his own. The film received critical acclaim and was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film and the BAFTA Award for Best Film Not in the English Language. [35], Upon its premiere at the 2013 Cannes Festival, a report from the French Audiovisual and Cinematographic Union (Syndicat des professionnels de l'industrie de l'audiovisuel et du cinéma) criticised the working conditions from which the crew suffered. 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. A hotel room in the center of Rome serves as the setting for two young and recently acquainted women to have a physical adventure that touches their very souls. The truth is it was extremely hard but that's OK. Set against the background of the '68 Paris student riots. I like to be tested. For me, a shoot is a human adventure, and in every adventure you have some conflict. Cinematographer Sofian El Fani used the Canon EOS C300 camera with Angénieux zoom lenses, and the entire production was undertaken in a digital workflow. [41][42], The camerawork and many of Kechiche's directorial decisions allow a true-to-life feel for the film, which in turn has led to audiences reading the film with meaning that they can derive from their own personal experiences. Time passes and although Adèle finds satisfaction in her job as a kindergarten teacher, she still cannot overcome her heartbreak. [5] During its opening in France on 9 October 2013, the film debuted with a weekend total of $2.3 million on 285 screens for a $8,200 per-screen average. Home. However, 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 school teacher with Maroh's love story between two young women. Blue Is the Warmest Colour really is an outstanding film and the performances from Exarchopoulos and Séydoux make other people's acting look very weak. Topics. "), by the Algerian-born Kaddour Haddadi, is the official song of the French Communist Party. In The Yale Review, Charles Taylor puts this into words: "Instead of fencing its young lovers within a petting zoo... Kechiche removes the barriers that separate us from them. Please help improve this article by editing it. In front of the others, Adele grows, seeks herself, loses herself, finds herself. I don't mind that it was hard. Exarchopoulos described how her auditions with Kechiche over the course of two months consisted of improvisation of scenarios, discussions, and also of them both sitting in a café, without talking, while he quietly observed her. When Emma becomes aware of the fling, she furiously confronts Adèle about it. She later dates and sleeps with a boy from school named Thomas, but she is ultimately dissatisfied and breaks off their relationship. Her relationship with Emma grows into more than just friends as she is the only person with whom she can express herself openly. "[69] On Metacritic, which assigned a score of 89 averaged from 55 reviews, the film received "universal acclaim". Regarding his intention to portray young people, Kechiche claimed: "I almost wish I was born now, because young people seem to be much more beautiful and brighter than my generation. I want to pay them tribute. There's a plot point near the end where you kind of have to know that the girls' sex life was fantastic, but I'm not sure we had to see it in anywhere near as much detail as we did. [48], Reviewer Spencer Wolff noted the political stance adopted by Adèle, which changes as her life experiences change and reflect her alternating views: "Blue is the Warmest Colour is no different; at least, at first. Her best friend, the openly gay Valentin, takes her to a gay dance bar. Adèle finishes school and joins the teaching staff at a local elementary school, while Emma tries to move forward with her painting career, frequently throwing house parties to socialise with her circle. 105 of 160 people found this review helpful. [105] In addition, this was also the first film adapted from either a graphic novel or a comic to win the Palme d'Or. "[98] Although praising Kechiche's originality, describing his adaptation as "coherent, justified and fluid ... a masterstroke",[99] Maroh also felt that he failed to capture the lesbian heart of their story, and disapproved of the sex scenes. Take a look ahead at some of our most anticipated superhero series arriving in 2021 and beyond. Abdelatif Kechiche directed a film adaptation in 2013, titled Blue Is the Warmest Colour, which was awarded the Palme d'Or at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival. Through the eyes of Adèle we experience the breathless excitement of first love and first physical contact, but then, inevitably, all the other experiences that make life the way it is ... All of these are beautifully documented". Blue Is the Warmest Colour (French: La Vie d'Adèle â€“ Chapitres 1 & 2; French pronunciation: ​[la vi dadɛl ʃapitʁ œ̃n‿e dø]) is a 2013 romance film co-written, co-produced, and directed by Abdellatif Kechiche, and starring Léa Seydoux and Adèle Exarchopoulos. He chases after her but heads in the wrong direction, while Adèle walks away into the distance. [66] The film grossed $2,199,787 at US theatrically. Blue Is the Warmest Colour is a 2013 romance film co-written, co-produced, and directed by Abdellatif Kechiche, and starring Léa Seydoux and Adèle Exarchopoulos. [12][13] The film had its North American premiere at the 2013 Telluride Film Festival. In front of others, Adèle grows, seeks herself, loses herself, and ultimately finds herself through love and loss. [53] In the United States, the film was rated NC-17 by the Motion Picture Association of America for "explicit sexual content". She dreams of something more. Get unlimited DVD Movies & TV Shows delivered to your door with no late fees, ever. Approximately 800 hours of footage was shot, including extensive B-roll footage, with Kechiche ultimately trimming the final cut of the film down to 179 minutes. [77], Andrew Chan of the Film Critics Circle of Australia writes, "Not unlike Wong Kar-wai's most matured effort in cinema, Happy Together, director Abdellatif Kechiche knows love and relationship well and the details he goes about everything is almost breathtaking to endure. Life is much harder. Get a sneak peek of the new version of this page. Now, the biggest story of this film has probably been the graphic sex scenes. [72] In France Les Cahiers du cinéma placed the film third in their 2013 Top Ten chart. Blue Is the Warmest Color IMDB: 7.7 Adèle's life is changed when she meets Emma, a woman with hair, that will allow her to detect desire, to claim herself as a woman and as a grownup. The controversial and acclaimed French film "Blue Is The Warmest Color" arrives in theaters this week (though not in Idaho), and in an interview with GQ, the film's star brushed aside the assertion that the "Blue" sex scenes were not simulated. I think I missed something. As with many male fantasies of lesbianism, the film centers on the erotic success and effective failures of relations between women". He's a very honest director and I love his cinema. Adèle is a high school student who is beginning to explore herself as a woman. Blue Is the Warmest Colour [51], The film was screened at more than 131 territories[52] and was commercially released on 9 October 2013 in France by Wild Bunch with a "12" rating. Adèle also references Pablo Picasso a number of times,[46][47] who famously went through a melancholy Blue Period. Blue Is the Warmest Colour. The way he treats us? The two meet about three years later (Lise's little girl is now three) in a restaurant. Speaking to French magazine Télérama, Kechiche said "I think this film should not go out; it was too sullied", referring to the negative press about his on-set behaviour. They described the experience as "horrible," and said they would not work with him again. The music, "On lâche rien" ("We will never give up! [101][102][103] Kechiche dedicated the award to "the youth of France" and the Tunisian Revolution, where "they have the aspiration to be free, to express themselves and love in full freedom". [23] Some critics have noted that the difference of social class is an ongoing theme in Kechiche's filmography: "As in Kechiche's earlier work, social class, and the divisions it creates, are a vital thread; he even changed the first name of the story's passionate protagonist from Clémentine to that of his actress, partly because it means "justice" in Arabic. Movie details AKA:Adele: Chapters 1 & 2 (eng), Adèle's Life (eng), Blue Is the Warmest Color (eng), Blue Is the Warmest Colour (eng), La Vie d'Adèle (eng), La vie d'Adèle - Chapitres 1 et 2 (eng), Життя Адель (eng) Movie Rating: 7.7 / 10 (138336) 180 min [ Blazingly emotional and explosively sexy.] Blue is the Warmest Color is a French film about two female protagonists that go on a journey of freedom and self-discovery. Raw, honest, powerfully acted, and deliciously intense, Blue Is the Warmest Color offers some of modern cinema's most elegantly composed, emotionally absorbing drama. Framed by black and Arab faces, Adèle marches in a protest to demand better funding for education. Frankly, I didn't feel the length of it at all - I wanted it to be longer. Jury President Steven Spielberg explained: The film is a great love story that made all of us feel privileged to be a fly on the wall, to see this story of deep love and deep heartbreak evolve from the beginning. 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