Lesbian Love Story Draws Raves at Cannes
CANNES–It isn’t every year that the word “masterpiece” gets bandied about by heavyweight film critics, particularly when it’s a three-hour movie that contains lengthy scenes of intimate lesbian sex.
But the enthusiastic buzz about “Blue is the Warmest Color” (“La vie d’Adèle”) by French Tunisian director, Abdellatif Kechiche (“Couscous”, 2007), goes beyond a steamy love story between two young women. The film is tender, intense and a deliberate wander off the road from mainstream cinema. It’s a loose adaptation of Julie Maroh’s graphic novel “Le bleu est une couleur chaude,” which will be released in English under the title “Blue Angel” in October.
The leading role, Adèle (played by radiant newcomer, Adèle Exarchopoulos) is a schoolgirl who begins to see a boy but finds herself attracted to Emma (Léa Seydoux), an artsy blue-haired stranger she spots while crossing the street. As their intimate relationship escalates, the camera plunges the audience into the joy and suffering of love, zooming in with extreme close ups and meticulous attention to every movement.
“One of the main themes of the film is destiny,” says Kechiche. “How do you account for the fact that one day, you meet someone who is able to radically change your life, due to a chance encounter? Another subject is how love evolves and then comes the break up, which is like a form of bereavement that can last one year, ten years, or a lifetime.”
Known for his unconventional approach on the set, Kechiche says that he uses the screenplay as a kind of “safety net” but is prone to make numerous changes and include improvisations while shooting.
“I compare myself to a novelist who writes 1,000 pages, then throws away 700. For me, the script is never a pre-fabricated object,” the director states.
“I don’t want to know what is going to happen to a film in advance. I prefer to start with something more precarious and let it evolve with the actors’ help.”
“For me, the film is about the discovery of a young girl–about desire, flesh, and body language,” says Exarchopoulos, who seems unfazed by the deluge of critical praise for her stunning performance. “I wasn’t worried about the nudity and was prepared to assume the sex scenes. At first, Léa and I couldn’t stop laughing nervously. Then, as our characters got to know each other, things happened almost organically.”
According to co-star Léa Seydoux (“Midnight in Paris,” “Mission Impossible”), the four-month shoot with Kechiche was unlike any experience the actress has ever encountered.
“It was crazy,” she says with a smile. “He pushes you right to the edge. We could spend two weeks on just one scene. You end up forgetting the camera is there. When you have to eat, you eat real food—if you drink, you have to drink real alcohol. After a hundred takes, that can be quite tough.”
“It was important to show all the details to make it feel like a slice of life,” adds Exarchopoulos. “We really made this movie with our heart and our guts.”
Watch a clip from the movie.
