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Blue Is the Warmest Color

NC-17 Released Oct 25, 2013 2h 55m Drama Comedy LGBTQ+ List
88% Tomatometer 205 Reviews 85% Audience Score 10,000+ Ratings
A French teen (Adèle Exarchopoulos) forms a deep emotional and sexual connection with an older art student (Léa Seydoux) she met in a lesbian bar. Read More Read Less
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Blue Is the Warmest Color

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Blue Is the Warmest Color

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Critics Consensus

Raw, honest, powerfully acted, and deliciously intense, Blue Is the Warmest Color offers some of modern cinema's most elegantly composed, emotionally absorbing drama.

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Critics Reviews

View All (205) Critics Reviews
Kate Autostraddle I am sad to report that I was underwhelmed and uncomfortable, and all too familiar with the tropes at play, none of them creatively handled. Jun 14, 2021 Full Review Tammy Oler Bitch Media Exarchopoulos and Seydoux are constantly undercut by Kechiche's direction, which often seems more about his directorial desires than the motivations of the story's protagonists. Jan 20, 2021 Full Review J. Hoberman ARTINFO.com The most discomfiting thing about Blue [Is The Warmest Color] is that it ultimately feels like a menage a trois involving the actors and the camera, staged for the benefit of the director. Feb 22, 2019 Full Review Tina Kakadelis Beyond the Cinerama Dome Blue is the Warmest Colour was the first time many queer women were able to see two women in a romantic relationship in popular media. It’s a shame those characters weren’t treated with respect. Jul 25, 2023 Full Review Erick Estrada Cinegarage Abdellatif Kechiche takes all the time in the world to narrate the emergence and possible sentimental catastrophe of this young couple... [Full review in Spanish] Feb 7, 2023 Full Review Vadim Rizov Filmmaker Magazine Blue‘s a well-acted plot outline lacking sexual or psychological specificity, exactly the details needed to make the well-trod beats of a relationship drama work. Jan 25, 2023 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Audience Member One of the few movies I didn't watch all at once. And I'm a lesbian, so... Rated 2 out of 5 stars 07/19/24 Full Review Wren T Very long, disjointed and disappointing movie entirely in French with English subtitles. I believe this film was made for primarily two audiences: neither of which watches movies for their plot The movie summary states that Adele formed a strong emotional and sexual connection with an older art student, but that is, in my opinion, not really accurate. Certainly she grows an attachment to her, and they do have a sexual connection, but the emotional connection is very one sided and they have an incredibly unhealthy relationship and communication style that doesn't improve throughout the film. The movie was a series of vignettes with harsh, unexpected transitions to totally different vibes with any amount of time passage that resulted in a total lack of congruity or plot with lots of loose ends. Several of the clips are just of the protagonist sleeping or eating sloppily for no apparent reason. There are extremely erotic scenes but often with little or no buildup, so they come completely out of the blue (perhaps a nod to the title). Several of the scenes are honestly not very realistic as they place these girls in every imaginable position. The first of the two audiences watches this film as a source of lesbian pornography. It primarily follows the protagonist through her failed hetero and lesbian relationships, and her growth into acceptance of herself while also growing into extremely unhealthy relationship attachment styles. I think what the movie does well is convey the feeling of disappointment, frustration, helplessness, and loneliness that comes when two people who lust for one another aren't in the same place when it comes to love, don't work through their differences in healthy ways, and use unhealthy coping mechanisms when they are unhappy instead of communicating. The movie left me feeling like I had had a bad experience with nothing more left than to just walk away from it all, much like the protagonist. I can see how there could be a second intended audience, as a niche critic view on the movie would lend it credit, or perhaps for the purpose of evaluating the film on the darker themes of love. But as a source of entertainment or a lesbian date night movie, I definitely don't recommend it. Rated 1 out of 5 stars 12/20/23 Full Review matthias s "Blue is the Warmest Colour" presents a mixed cinematic experience with some noteworthy elements. Adèle's exceptional acting shines amidst a film fraught with shortcomings. The movie's major flaw lies in its excessively long and unnecessary graphic scenes, coupled with a slow-paced and extended runtime. The thin storyline further hinders the overall impact, leaving the narrative lacking in depth and character development. Moreover, the film succumbs to perpetuating certain stereotypes, diminishing its potential as a progressive and inclusive portrayal of LGBTQ+ relationships. While Adèle's performance stands as a bright spot, the movie fails to fulfill its promise, ultimately resulting in a mediocre cinematic journey. Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 11/15/23 Full Review Natalia R I think is important to know the context in which this movie was filmed. One year before the filming, Kechiche met regularly with Adèle and Léa, to get to know them. If they wanted to go out of town for the weekend, they needed to get permission from Kechiche. Léa talks about the abusive environment that Kechiche created. Kechiche said that perhaps, if the movie hadn't got the awards it got, he could have ended up in jail. And, I know he said that to play the victim card regarding Léa Seydoux comment. But I believe that would have happened if his colleagues in Cannes hadn't come forward to support the movie. Léa said that Kechiche filmed 800 hours. I think it was a total abuse and there's not much difference from a porn film and this film. Léa's and Adèle's deserved to win the Palm D'Or, not Kechiche. They were able to raise from that sordid nightmare and come out as stars. Léa said that after filming that movie she was very destabilized. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 07/27/23 Full Review A great character study, emotional, with great acting, and beautifully shot. Should not be this good with the runtime Rated 5 out of 5 stars 06/22/23 Full Review tyler k I can't even remember how many nuts I've busted to this film. Its definite must see if you a fan of watching lesbian sex. Other parts of the film was ok. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 04/03/24 Full Review Read all reviews
Blue Is the Warmest Color

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Cast & Crew

Movie Info

Synopsis A French teen (Adèle Exarchopoulos) forms a deep emotional and sexual connection with an older art student (Léa Seydoux) she met in a lesbian bar.
Director
Abdel Kechiche
Producer
Abdel Kechiche, Vincent Maraval, Brahim Chioua
Screenwriter
Abdel Kechiche, Ghalya Lacroix, Julie Maroh
Distributor
IFC Films
Production Co
RTBF, Scope Pictures, Quat'sous Films, France 2 Cinéma, Wild Bunch, Vertigo Films
Rating
NC-17 (Explicit Sexual Content)
Genre
Drama, Comedy, LGBTQ+
Original Language
French (France)
Release Date (Theaters)
Oct 25, 2013, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Sep 14, 2016
Runtime
2h 55m
Aspect Ratio
CinemaScope (2,35:1)
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