NYFF AT 51 REVEW: "BLUE IS THE WARMEST COLOR"
BY MATEO MORENO
Heading into the NYFF this year, the most controversial title was definitely Blue is the Warmest Color, Abdellatif Kechiche & Ghalia Lacroix's adaption of Julie Maroh's graphic novel. Coming from Toronto Film Festival, it arrived with news of a two minute standing ovation, feauding stars, graphic sex scenes, and an epically long running time. Now that it's arrived and we are prepped for the controversy I have to say that yes, it does have all of those graphic sex scenes intact, but it also has a hell of a lot of heart and raw emotion. It also isn't quite the masterpiece that we've been promised. Adèle Exarchopoulos plays Adèle, a young high school student who's beginning to explore her sexuality. She dates boys but they don't quite do it for her. Then she meets Emma (Léa Seydoux), a free spirit, bright blue haired raven. Together they find a joy and love that they couldn't find alone, and the movie traces their relationship through the years from the highs of first love to the lows of relationship troubles.
What's beautiful about the film is how honest and raw the emotion is between the girls, and how real their relationship rings pure truth. Often the film slides along instead of chugs, choosing instead to wait slowly through their relationship and focus on long shots and everyday moments. Director Kechiche does a splendid job at focusing on the mediocre moments and making them enthralling (a dinner scene harkens the excitement of both new love and past food movies like Big Night and Eat Drink Man Woman). And both Exarchopoulos and Seydoux do extrodinary work in the film, excelling in simple longing. Their connection is truly wonderful, yet the entire time the movie felt a bit... lacking. Perhaps it's the too long running time (the movie clocks in over 3 hours and is really at it's heart a very simple love story), perhaps it's the ending that feels too much like a "to be continued" than a true ending, or perhaps it's the lack of anything truly groundbreaking happening in their lives (then again, that's also what makes it sing). Whatever it is, Blue is the Warmest Color is a very good, funny, sexy, and touching film. But not an extrodinary one. Which after seeing the beauty it does hold doesn't seem like such a bad thing after all.
MATEO'S GRADE: A Solid Choice
Based on the Graphic Novel by Julie Maroh Adapted by Abdellatif Kechiche & Ghalia Lacroix Directed by: Abdellatif Kechiche Starring Adèle Exarchopoulos, Léa Seydoux
CONTENT ADVISORY: Adult Situations, Adult Language, Graphic Nudity, Strong Sexual Content
BOTTOM LINE: While not the life changing classic some are calling it, Blue is a beautiful (albeit too long) romantically tangled film.