Blue Is the Warmest Color

Though Blue Is the Warmest Colour owes some of its qualities to the original comic book (available in French and, since September 2013, in English) about two young women’s great love spanning several years, the main reasons that it is such an emotionally absorbing experience consist in the adaptation’s flawless formalistic approach. An essential role is played by the unique symbiosis of the immediate performances of the actresses and how they are captured by the camera, as most of the runtime is made up of close-ups and medium shots. This approach, literally eliciting a feeling of closeness, highlights even the smallest details in the faces of the central couple, based on which the narrative builds the intense emotional tension found in all of the scenes. Blue Is the Warmest Colour provides an intense, three-hour immersion into a single relationship without a single unnecessary second. Each moment of this dramaturgically perfectly composed film presents a complex and very intimate view into the emotional life of the protagonist Adele – from the initial difficult clarification of her orientation to the passionate love that later transforms into doubtfulness arousing uncertainty and devastatingly painful loss. Despite the caustic comments directed toward it, Blue Is the Warmest Colour deserves all of the acclaim and attention that it has received from both critics and viewers not because of its explicit sex scenes, but simply because it is a uniquely intense viewing experience that literally takes the audience on a journey through the turbulence of a long-term relationship. Even as it enthrals viewers and allows them to experience every intoxicating and devastating moment in the women’s relationship, it never does so in a superficial way. P.S.: Blue Is the Warmest Colour gave me the most intense viewing experience that I have had in many years. (2013-06-26)

If this movie were about a teenage hetero couple, it’d be mundane and uninteresting. If it were about two gay boys, it’d be unwatchable for most viewers. But it’s about two lesbians and the Cannes jury, led by the king of Hollywood, awarded it the Golden Palm. Like Linklater’s three-hour- long Boyhood, the three-hour-long Blue is the Warmest Color slowly and not too dramatically talks about everyday life issues. But unlike Boyhood, it focuses on one particular stage in the main character’s life and goes so deep that the last part of her story moves the viewer to tears. Because we all know how that hurts, no matter what our sexual orientation is. The sex scenes are very open, but not self-serving. On the contrary, they are very important for the physical and emotional absorption of the story, which is its alpha and omega. The central duo of young actresses is incredible in every word, feeling and look. (2015-04-10)

It’s very rare to see a festival flick so relatable, with artistic choices that fully support the power of the message and the emotional effect. The three-hour series of details on the faces of actors, whose ordinary activities deliberately don’t deviate from the process of the heroine’s development, may have some passages that are almost unnecessarily long, but the creator would be able to justify them without hesitation. We are not only watching Adele, we are Adele and we are experiencing with her tense moments as participatorily as the film medium will allow. The sex scenes are perhaps too long, but also inevitable, given the consistency of the process of following the internal and sexual development of a fragile heroine, and they are also pleasant for the male viewer (both actresses not only act great but look great, too). Sexuality can be a heavy burden and here we see it unadorned and very realistic. 85% (2020-09-20)

What to say about a movie that lasts three hours and you're not bored for a minute, in fact, you'd gladly watch another hour... A very impressive, extremely intense, and thoroughly immersive cinematic experience! That's how I want to express my feelings. Moreover, the actress playing the lead role could not have been better chosen, as she did not just play Adèle, she lived her. I could go on and on about the story of the intimate lesbian relationship between Adèle and Emma, with a lot of great dialogue, but I don't think it would do much good. It can't be told because it has to be seen to understand the genius of this emotionally intense relationship film. (95%) (2020-05-12)

A film from the "life as it is" collection. This collection is starting to be very good because it counts the first episode of Nymph()maniac: Volume 1 among its number, just like Blue Is the Warmest Color. These protagonists need to be loved. And you need to walk through a piece of your own life with them. At the other end of the spectrum is the appeal of life arising from the youth of the protagonists of the Clip. It's not important where these protagonists come from, but what they do to hold up a mirror to us. And even if nothing else, the favorite problem of passionate relationships will always be about what to do with an initiated evening when our other half doesn't pay enough attention to us. Are the hook-ups and break-ups worth the momentary feelings of satisfied vanity? At the same time, I must add that I was very pleasantly surprised by the original comic, which can be read in English as "Blue Is the Warmest Color." The original is both more tender and more somber, Adèle has a different name and the film adaptation has deliberately abandoned some details and motifs from her life. But this mirroring has very naturally left the comic to live its own peculiar life, and if the film Blue Is the Warmest Color appeals to you even a little, read the comics because they are worth it. (2014-08-29)