Christ Almighty, this film is brutal…
I don’t think I’ve felt this drained by any movie that didn’t feature a single firearm or a car chase.
You’ve probably heard of it; it made a big splash at Cannes in 2013 for all the right and wrong reasons.
Right: it was a love story that was as raw as an open wound. (Yes, it was)
Wrong: some of the sex scenes sailed pretty damn close to hardcore pornography (No, they didn’t… Welllllll, maybe.)
Yes, the sex scenes were pretty full on, but to be honest they weren’t the films standout feature. What really worked for me was the superb acting from the two leads, Adèle Exarchopoulos (genius!) and Léa Seydoux
Considering the film didn’t have a musical soundtrack, and the story was the typical ‘girl meets girl, girl dumped by girl’ affair then the actors and the directors had to work hard to hold your atttention for two and a half hours. And they managed it, in spades. The depth of emotion displayed by these two women has to be seen to be believed. It was almost painful to watch, especially when everything started falling apart. It was strangely surreal; their lives were quite ordinary when they were apart, but the ferocity of the love between them was extraordinary. It was almost like there was a third person in the relationship, this invisible, merciless beast that wouldn’t let them the bloody hell go. From their first tentative exploration of their feelings for each other, right through to the inevitable end, this was an absolute storm of emotional drama.
But what about those sex scenes.
To be honest, I don’t think they were gratutious. When you’re displaying such savage emotion in people’s lives, then I think it would have been weird if they’d suddenly become prudish when they hit the sack. But having said that, I did think that some of the scenes went on for a bit too long. Especially during the early stages of Adele and Emma’s relationship, I was expecting something a little more unfamiliar and less self-assured (this was Adele’s first time with another woman), so that aspect didn’t ring true for me; just a personal opinion though.
Still, if passion without restraint is your thing, then Blue is the Warmest Colour is a must-see.
Nine out of ten.
Great review. I’m not someone who’s comfortable in the personal space of others, which amplified the intensity of this film for me. The sex scenes were long and surprising.
Yes, it was sort of… claustrophobic wasn’t it? I think the whole thing was brilliantly staged. There was no soundtrack either, which I don’t think I noticed until I was a third of the way through.
I purposefully watched this movie with the subtitles turned off. (I have only a very basic understanding of French). What it did for me is make me pay even closer attention to the actors actions and emotions. I have to say, doing this, made the film very intriguing.
My opinion on the sex scenes….wow 0_o They didn’t hold back much at all. I almost felt guilty for what I was watching. It had, at least for me, a very voyeuristic quality to it that was extremely intoxicating. If it was just a straight out porno scene it would not have had that effect. But the palpable emotions between the characters just super charged the sex scenes to a whole other level.
I haven’t decided whether or not I’ll re-watch it with the subtitles on though.
Wish I’d thought of switching of the subtitles. My French is poor, but I think I would’ve still understood it. And I know what you mean about the sex scenes. After a few minutes you think, “Right, I’m going to get a coffee; you two clearly need to be alone.”
A great movie.