New To Blu: Blue is the Warmest Color

The love story of Adele and Emma finds its way home today.

Perhaps one of the most touching and emotionally revealing relationship dramas of 2013, Blue is the Warmest Color, comes out this week in a Criterion Collection blu ray release. 

While some (ignorant people) may take issue with the film's modern tale of new found love and the sexual awakening of a teenage girl, Blue is the Warmest Color sets the bar extremely high with its boundary pushing, eye opening story of the beautiful yet sometimes tumultuous relationship between the two women known as Adele and Emma.

At a running length of three hours, the picture could easily have been a half hour longer with its totally engrossing presence and the director's dedication to creating a true representation of love through the use of film. Adele and sometimes blue haired Emma are two of the most well rounded characters brought to the screen in 2013, each with their own deep rooted human flaws and divisive emotional shortcomings.

Where the film stumbles is in its graphic 6 minute sex scene. While some might find it erotic, (to me) it felt forced, contrived and bordered on falling into the trappings of unrealistic lesbian porn. Don't get me wrong. I'm not a prude in the least bit and I'm not judgmental at all. What people do in the bedroom is their own business. But something just didn't feel right about the extended love making scene. There's too much going on. I understand that it's supposed to be about experimentation and exploration but it felt like the director was trying to squeeze in as many positions as possible to make the scene unnecessarily provocative and shocking.

Despite that one minor flaw, I absolutely loved Blue Is The Warmest Color. It's a timely piece of cinematic art that brings the challenges of sexuality to the forefront while giving us honest characters and a relevant story that will resonate with a varied audience. While the focus is on two women in love, the story is one that will change the minds of some and will strengthen the bonds of others with its inside perspective on modern relationships and sexual acceptance. See it.



- Review by Chris George