I am hard pressed to fault Blue Is the Warmest Color. My appreciation of it crescendoed in a way that had me question the essentiality of the entire 45 minutes or so before Adèle and Emma meet. I nonetheless have come to appreciate it as the deliberate development of the Adèle character and her circumstances. The walk-by and subsequent autoerotic scene are integral to the story.
I also questioned whether the protracted graphic sexual content was of an artistically neutral value, given how lust can otherwise be implied. Not that filmmakers should necessarily make a habit of it, but with so little left to the imagination, the right emotional responses were more readily evoked in other scenes. Ultimately, the film's unfailing naturalism demanded such sexual representations. It would not have made sense for the director to have been shy about the kind of film he was making.
Adèle is an understandably flawed character. Her sex life is dictated more by convenience than principle. This selfishness is at variance with her love for Emma and desire to benefit others as a teacher. Emma is more mature in age and mind. She is a truly likable character. Loving her so deeply is a credit to Adèle. One of the more thought provoking relationships ever put to the screen; I would need a horrendous case of dementia to forget it.
What a breakup scene! Not surprisingly the most difficult; it best exemplifies this tour de force of acting for the two leads. I could rack my brains to no end and not recall to mind a more effective scene. Adèle receives her comeuppance with heartrending disbelief and desperation. Emma's Sartrean resolution can be debated on its merits.
The taboo nature of their relationship is something of an eye-opener. France only legalized same-sex marriage in 2013, despite nationwide opposition. So, the depiction of homophobia is all too true, evidently. There is something wrong in the world we live in when a realistic treatment of the subject would have been essentially the same decades earlier.
This glowing review of mine had me call into question my own rating. It had been a 9/10, mainly because the film by necessity (as I now understand) has an unusually slow build up. I had intended for this to be a mixed review, but the more I meditate on Blue Is the Warmest Color, the more I appreciate it. The perceived negatives fell flat under the light of scrutiny. The supporting characters are well established, with Samir, the Arabic speaking actor as the standout. The music is good throughout. The anti-Hollywood, though somewhat open-ended ending is just right.
All in all, a brilliant, intense, and wonderfully unique film.
I also questioned whether the protracted graphic sexual content was of an artistically neutral value, given how lust can otherwise be implied. Not that filmmakers should necessarily make a habit of it, but with so little left to the imagination, the right emotional responses were more readily evoked in other scenes. Ultimately, the film's unfailing naturalism demanded such sexual representations. It would not have made sense for the director to have been shy about the kind of film he was making.
Adèle is an understandably flawed character. Her sex life is dictated more by convenience than principle. This selfishness is at variance with her love for Emma and desire to benefit others as a teacher. Emma is more mature in age and mind. She is a truly likable character. Loving her so deeply is a credit to Adèle. One of the more thought provoking relationships ever put to the screen; I would need a horrendous case of dementia to forget it.
What a breakup scene! Not surprisingly the most difficult; it best exemplifies this tour de force of acting for the two leads. I could rack my brains to no end and not recall to mind a more effective scene. Adèle receives her comeuppance with heartrending disbelief and desperation. Emma's Sartrean resolution can be debated on its merits.
The taboo nature of their relationship is something of an eye-opener. France only legalized same-sex marriage in 2013, despite nationwide opposition. So, the depiction of homophobia is all too true, evidently. There is something wrong in the world we live in when a realistic treatment of the subject would have been essentially the same decades earlier.
This glowing review of mine had me call into question my own rating. It had been a 9/10, mainly because the film by necessity (as I now understand) has an unusually slow build up. I had intended for this to be a mixed review, but the more I meditate on Blue Is the Warmest Color, the more I appreciate it. The perceived negatives fell flat under the light of scrutiny. The supporting characters are well established, with Samir, the Arabic speaking actor as the standout. The music is good throughout. The anti-Hollywood, though somewhat open-ended ending is just right.
All in all, a brilliant, intense, and wonderfully unique film.