Rent Blue Is the Warmest Colour (2013)

3.7 of 5 from 509 ratings
2h 53min
Rent Blue Is the Warmest Colour (aka La vie d'Adèle - Chapitres 1 et 2) Online DVD & Blu-ray Rental
  • General info
  • Available formats
Synopsis:
15-year-old Adele (Adele Exarchopoulos) feels like an average teenager, with school, friends, parents and boys taking up most of her time and thoughts. That is until a chance encounter with a beguiling blue-haired girl (Lea Seydoux) turns her world upside down, forcing her to question her desires and assert herself as a woman and as an adult.
Actors:
, , , , , , , , , , , , Fanny Maurin, Maelys Cabezon, Samir Bella, Tom Hurier, Manon Piette, Quentin Médrinal, Peter Assogbavi, Wisdom Ayanou
Directors:
Producers:
Brahim Chioua, Abdel Kechiche, Vincent Maraval
Writers:
Abdellatif Kechiche, Ghalia Lacroix
Aka:
La vie d'Adèle - Chapitres 1 et 2
Studio:
Artificial Eye Film Company Ltd.
Genres:
Drama, Lesbian & Gay, Romance
Collections:
A Brief History of Lesbian Cinema, A Brief History of Film..., Top 10 Cannes Palme d'Or Winners, Top Films
Countries:
France
Awards:

2013 Cannes Palme d'Or

2013 Cannes Palme d'Or Honorary

BBFC:
Release Date:
17/03/2014
Run Time:
173 minutes
Languages:
French Dolby Digital 2.0, French DTS 5.1
Subtitles:
English
DVD Regions:
Region 2
Formats:
Pal
Aspect Ratio:
Widescreen 1.78:1 / 16:9
Colour:
Colour
Bonus:
  • Trailer
  • Interviews with Director Abdellatif Kechiche and Actress Adele Exarchopoulos
  • Deleted Scenes
BBFC:
Release Date:
17/03/2014
Run Time:
177 minutes
Languages:
French DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, French LPCM Stereo
Subtitles:
English
Formats:
Pal
Aspect Ratio:
Widescreen 1.78:1 / 16:9
Colour:
Colour
BLU-RAY Regions:
B
Bonus:
  • Trailer
  • Interviews with Director Abdellatif Kechiche and Actress Adele Exarchopoulos
  • Deleted Scenes

More like Blue Is the Warmest Colour

Reviews (3) of Blue Is the Warmest Colour

France does it again - Blue Is the Warmest Colour review by CP Customer

Spoiler Alert
13/04/2014

The French film industry produces some very good films and this one I found superb. The tale of a young girl maturing and having had a relationship with an older boy at school, she realizes something is missing, and is drawn into a beautiful relationship with a girl she meets. There are a lot of sex scenes without emotion as the critic review says, but the point is this is a young girl finding herself aroused in an unexpected way, and enjoying it. The emotional builds slowly.

I loved this film.

7 out of 7 members found this review helpful.

Fantastic Contemporary Relationship Drama - Blue Is the Warmest Colour review by GI

Spoiler Alert
10/11/2021

A passionate and powerful love story that charts sexual awakening, conflicts of desire and the heartbreak of a broken relationship. Whilst there is controversy in this film largely around its intense sex scenes this is also a film that garnered a lot of praise. Filmed in a realist style it follows Adèle (Adèle Exarchopoulos), a high school student who struggles with the peer pressure she receives from her friends to have sex with a guy who fancies her. She feels that something is missing in her life until she meets the confident and artistic Emma (Léa Seydoux) and they begin a passionate relationship. But as their lives become more entwined Adèle still struggles with being a part of Emma's life. Feelings of jealousy, shyness and inadequacy all contribute to a downward spiral. This is a film that really captures the reality of relationship struggles, ultimately it has a deep sadness in the story but also a strong sense of a journey of emotion that can only result in a rewarding life. The two leads are extremely good here and capture the intensity of their love along with the pain when things begin to go wrong. In many ways this is one of the best relationship dramas you'll see.

1 out of 1 members found this review helpful.

A heartbreakingly beautiful film with miraculous performances which sadly is far too long - Blue Is the Warmest Colour review by TB

Spoiler Alert
22/06/2023

We all remember our first loves and the pain that we felt when our hearts were broken. Everything happens in a dream: you think your life is set and then it fails and, in many ways, you never truly get over it. Then, if you are also experimenting with your sexuality, this adds another layer of hurt and upset. This is what Blue Is The Warmest Colour (BITWC) captures nearly flawlessly, with two stunning performances from Léa Seydoux & Adèle Exarchopoulos.

The film begins with Adéle in college, trying to fit in, fall in love whilst also wrestling with her burgeoning sexuality. After making a pass with a friend which then is used against her and becoming a victim of homophobic bullying, she one night walks into a lesbian bar and meets Emma, who she had briefly seen when walking in the street. The chemistry is immediate, and they fall passionately in love.

One of the best things about BITWC is how it shows this young love: we spend wonderful moments seeing them hang out, discuss their love of art, first kisses and then the passionate intimacy they have with each other. As is a running theme with my reviews, I refuse to buy into/join the hysteria about the level of sexuality shown in this film, which is done absolutely and completely unapologetically. The three beautifully filmed sex scenes are there to show the passion they have for each other and also add to the emotional sledgehammer of not only how their love progresses but also when the relationship breaks down.

And it gives me no real pleasure to criticise what for me is the worst part of this film: it is far, far too long. I mentioned above that it was wonderful to spend time getting to know Adéle and Emma, and this pays dividends. But then the film does something unforgivable, considering how wonderful it has been up to that point: there is one scene, set at a dinner party which takes up nearly half an hour of the narrative, where various characters just sit and talk to each other. It doesn’t advance the story, nothing major happens and it feels like the film literally slams on the brakes.

Then by the time the film moves on, so much momentum has been lost it can never truly be regained. But that isn’t to say there aren’t some staggeringly moving and upsetting moments, especially the meet-up in the coffee shop, which hit me like a sledgehammer.

Léa Seydoux & Adèle Exarchopoulos, as the two leads, are wonderful. Although Seydoux is exceptional, to me this film belongs to Exarchopoulos. From the opening moments, you cannot take your eyes off her. In the course of 3 hours, she shows us Adéle going from anxious and naïve, to open and free, then finally broken and bereft. To see those big brown eyes with tears pouring from them breaks your heart.

Credit must also be given to Abdellatif Kechiche. He masterfully directs this film and it would not be what it is without him. I will not shy away from also saying that the reports of unacceptable behaviour regarding working conditions should absolutely not have happened, but that I do not want this to detract from the finished product. For the interests of balance, Kechiche has felt the full force of this and extremely large amounts of negative press have been directed at him.

Despite the problems with length, this is still wonderful, passionate filmmaking. It is a wonderful and human story of love and heartbreak, so absolutely put this on your rental list.

0 out of 0 members found this review helpful.

Critic review

Blue Is the Warmest Colour (aka La vie d'Adèle - Chapitres 1 et 2) review by George Hooper - Cinema Paradiso

Having won the Palme D’Or at Cannes this year I had to see Blue is the Warmest Colour, even considering the controversy it had caused over its explicit sex scenes. Although it wasn’t at all what I was expecting, I’m pleased to say that Abdellatif Kechiche’s film is terrific as it gets to the core of a doomed relationship in a real and different way.

The film follows the life of Adele, a schoolgirl who finds herself attracted to a mysterious blue haired student named Emma. As Adele pursuits Emma she must also contend with her closeted nature as well as the prejudices that she can expect from people. However the two’s relationship proves just like any other and it may be a more ordinary problem that sees to their inevitable end.

Although a unique picture the film has trouble connecting on an emotional level, it lacks the kind of character moments that are expected of a relationship drama. Where a conventional film would build Adele and Emma’s relationship to a peak before watching it crumble, Kechiche chooses to mix the good with the bad. The films many explicit sex scenes also remove you from the experience as regular emotional beats are replaced with overly indulgent intercourse that lingers too long and never really feels necessary. In fact the film has almost 30 minutes of sex scenes, most of which prove emotionally stunted.

The film finds its footing on the back of lead actress Adèle Exarchopoulos who makes Adele an endlessly watchable person, both good and bad, vapid and intelligent. She gives a powerhouse performance that meshes brilliantly with Lea Seydoux’s Emma.

Ultimately a film about the way relationships share the same characteristics, even with different types of partners. The film gets great joy out of building this relationship in an honest and real way. Filled with clever dialogue, relatable characters and some gut wrenching final scenes, Blue is the Warmest Colour is a breath of fresh air.

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