“BLUE IS THE WARMEST COLOR” My rating: A (Opening Nov. 15 at the Tivoli and the Rio)
179 minutes | MPAA Rating: NC-17
What is the greatest film performance you’ve ever seen?
For me the answer changes every few years. But for the foreseeable future my greatest film performance is given by Adele Exarchopoulos in “Blue Is the Warmest Color.”
“Blue…” arrives on these shores riding a wave of acclaim and notoriety. Writer/director Abdellatif Kechiche and its two lead actresses – Exarchopoulos and Lea Seydoux – jointly were awarded the Palm d’Or at last May’s Cannes Film Festival.
The film has generated controversy for extended scenes of lesbian lovemaking that earned an NC-17 rating from the MPAA. And then there are the recent accusations of sexual coercion hurled by the actresses at Kechiche.
Well, heavy breathing girl-on-girl action may be titillating, and rumors of on-set sexual politics can be diverting.
But let’s look at what “Blue Is the Warmest Color” really is: a monumental (three hours) study of a young woman’s life over several years that delves into her psyche with the sort of detail usually only afforded by a great novel. (more…)
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