Abdellatif Kechiche’s “Blue is the Warmest Color” is the perfect film to see if you’re ready to travel with the characters through their tumultuous love story and leave the theater feeling emotionally drained. Léa Seydoux and Adèle Exarchopoulos give raw, passionate and haunting performances.
The film follows Adèle (Exarchopoulos) from her high school years through her career as a young teacher. As a teenager navigating the social scene of high school, she finds herself unfulfilled with her relationships. Enter Emma (Seydoux), an older and utterly fascinating woman who is marked by her bright blue hair. Adèle becomes captivated by Emma and a new mesmerizing world opens up.
While this short synopsis sounds like the beginning of any Hollywood romcom, the film quickly delves into the darkest part of the relationship. The viewer watches Adèle and Emma slowly grow distant, which is marked visually by Emma’s hair fading from blue to blonde. If blue is the warmest color, their love is cooling. Finally, in a heartbreaking and perfectly acted scene, their relationship breaks into pieces. The scene feels as if it is continuing for hours, creating a discomfort within the viewer. Their relationship is disintegrating and the film is not going to let the viewer off with a quick, painless finish.
The rest of the film follows Adèle while she fails over and over to put herself back together. This is what marks the film as not simply a love story but rather a narrative of finding oneself. More fittingly, the French title of the film is “La Vie d’Adéle - Chapitres 1 et 2” (“The Life of Adéle - Chapters 1 and 2”). This puts the focus on Adèle, where it should be, considering it is truly her story with Emma as only one—albeit important—chapter. By changing the title as well as a few incorrect translations throughout the film, the context is slightly lost on the American audience. While it is not enough to destroy the sanctity of the story, it is enough for any viewer who knows French to become annoyed.
Regardless of the language barrier, the actresses give emotionally heartbreaking portrayals that transcend cultures. In an ending classic to French filmmaking, Adèle is seen walking away from Emma’s art showing wearing a bright blue dress. The ambiguity, while to some frustrating, leaves the rest of Adèle’s chapters refreshingly open. It is hard to imagine them becoming any happier.
Rating: A
