Little left on cutting-room floor in this unforgettable love story, writes Mark Orton.
Director: Abdellatif Kechiche
Cast: Adele Exachopoulos, Lea Seydoux
Rating: (R18)
4 stars (out of 5)
In a twist on the conventional coming of age story, Blue Is the Warmest Colour focuses on an intense female relationship between a high school pupil and a graduating art student.
Seeking the social approval of her high school girlfriends, Adele (Adele Exachopoulos) welcomes the advances of fellow male pupils.
But after a casual encounter leaves her feeling particularly unsatisfied, Adele starts to question her sexuality.
Curious enough to enter a lesbian bar alone, Adele meets Emma (Lea Seydoux).
In a typically European style of storytelling, nothing is forced or overtly signposted.
Characters are given plenty of room to breathe and sequences hang a lot longer than you'd expect, but they are so much stronger for it.
The real secret to Blue Is the Warmest Colour is Exachopoulos' performance and her amazing eyes.
Not only does she perfectly express the sense of wonderment, confusion, and loneliness that Adele experiences, but the moments when she simply stares vacantly past the camera really elevate her emotional angst.
The chemistry between the leads feels as raw and honest as the explicit lovemaking scenes.
But, in a triumph of balance and pacing, these scenes feel neither exploitative nor voyeuristic.
Rather, they ramp up the stakes in what gradually builds to an emotionally charged dissection of relationships, attraction and sexual desire. Riveting and unforgettable.
Best thing: The intimate chemistry between Exachopoulos and Seydoux.
Worst thing: The clunky transitions between time and place.
See it with: Time: it's nearly three hours long.
