ANew York Times bestseller The original graphic novel adapted into the film Blue Is the Warmest Color , winner of the Palme d'Or at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival In this tender, bittersweet, full-color graphic novel, a young woman named Clementine di Theromantic story "Blue Is the Warmest Color" premiered at the 66th annual 2013 Cannes Film Festival. Lea Seydoux, left, and Adele Exarchopoulos plant kisses on the film's Tunisian-French DirectorAbdellatif Kechiche's film, "Blue is the Warmest Color," is a great example of how (since this style and its variations are so ubiquitous a distinction must be made between the aesthetic of Dogma influenced dramas and the commonly employed style of the "mockumentary" used to great effect in comedies that is basically a combination of InAbdellatif Kechiche's film Blue is the Warmest Color (french title La Vie d'Adele), a similar exploration has again risen to the screen, in that it features a brilliant performance from a first time actress in a sexual coming of age story. This time it employs the power of raw sexuality, with little or no objection from its audience, and Frenchcoming-of-age film Blue Is the Warmest Color has been at the center of controversy since premiering at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival. Despite critical praise for the three-hour exploration Blueis the Warmest Color is a work of delightfully layered sophistication, a movie you want to follow out even further than the sand and sunshine, all the way out into the deep blue ocean sea. Laremy Legel is a member of the Online Film Critic's Society, wrote a book about being a film crtiic , and traveled among the Juggaloes for 60 hours EmmaRobinson watches the lesbian love story . I am so conflicted about this film. Blue is the Warmest Colour tells the coming of age story of a young woman, Adele, and how she fell for her first big love, Emma. It explores themes of love, desire, heartbreak and many other intense emotions that go along with being young and falling head over heels in a raw, un-embellished manner. WhenAbdellatif Kechiche (Secret of the Grain) debuted Blue Is the Warmest Color in Cannes in May, the festival jury was so taken with the film and its two lead performances that it split the Thefact that "Blue is the Warmest Color" takes three hours to tell its simple story suggests the failure of the director's method; any self-respecting Hollywood hack could trim an hour off the picture's inordinate length. His camera work exhibits the same unimaginative approach, filming almost everything at eye level, with innumerable tight hispalme d'or-winning blue is the warmest color, based on julie maroh's acclaimed graphic novel, is beholden to a less multi-ethnic premise, but it hums just as vibrantly in its articulation of the refulgent sense of electric connectivity that would seem to forever bind two women when they catch sight of each other while crossing a busy city 0EufAN. 22/05/2013 - Adèle Exarchopoulos and Léa Seydoux smash the barriers of social romanticism in the exceptional feminine "love story" by Abdellatif KechicheAdèle Exarchopoulos and Léa Seydoux in Blue Is the Warmest Colour"Touching the very essence of the human being" is the challenge of "cinéma vérité", or cinema revealing the candid truth, always confronted by Abdellatif Kechiche in a career already rich in rewards after only four feature films. But with Blue is the Warmest Color [+see also trailerinterview Abdellatif Kechichefilm profile], in competition at the 66th Cannes Film Festival, the filmmaker clearly soars to an even higher altitude by getting as close as possible to the hearts and skins of two young women from very different social backgrounds. Weaving a hyper-sexed romantic work of extraordinary breadth without ever departing from his stylistic line giving priority to life and the intensity of the sequences, nor renouncing profound reflection and social analysis, the director offers the almost unknown Adèle Exarchopoulos and rising star Léa Seydoux two enormous roles which they assume with incredible audacity. But beyond these performances nourished by the embraces, laughter and tears of youth, the film asserts itself as an ode to the simplest form of freedom and the most difficult to achieve, that of assuming who we are, without having to justify it. "What's my gender?" For the adolescent, questions about identity are ultra-relevent and Adèle Adèle Exarchopoulos, a school-girl from a working-class family in the suburbs of Lille, is of an age when the appetite for love and sexuality awakens. With a fondness for literature in an environment in which culture is virtually non-existent in conversations among girl-friends and at family dinners lulled by TV, she sooon feels uncomfortable in an adventure with a boy. For her life has changed since she happened to come across a girl with blue hair who unexpectedly invites herself into her erotic dreams. Somewhat lost in her desires and in a more or less unconscious search for this apparition, she is soon to find her and overcomes the aggressiveness of some of the school-girls "You'll never lick my pussy, you dirty dyke" before launching herself into the unknown territory of feminine homosexuality. Emma Léa Seydoux, the girl with blue hair, in her fourth year at the Fine Arts Academy, falls for Adèle's charm, gently keeping her at a distance at first "I'm one of those grown-ups who hang around in gay bars. I think we're rather different" before yielding to the alchemy of torrid bodies. Then begins the life of a couple that will gradually be fractured over the years by their vocations Adèle a teacher, Emma a designer and the gap that separates them in terms of ambitions, original backgrounds, education and their ways of envisaging happiness… While remaining true to the fundamental corpus the discovery of passion between women of the comic strip Le bleu est une couleur chaude on which he based his film, Abdellatif Kechiche evacuates almost all the aspects of lesbian militantism and the tragic dimension from his adaptation, in order to concentrate more fully on the sociological theme so dear to him the social gap and "melting pot" territories body to body, the pleasures of shared eating, demonstrations, parties and dancing, small classes in school etc.. His directing, which has become expert in the art of close-ups and movement delves deeply into the characters and examines the details of their feelings in long captivating sequences. The mastery and powerfulness of the sex scenes in particular go well beyond their pornographic dimension, simply offering portrayals of palpitating nature in its simplest expression. A transmutation also achieved by the transmission of numerous references in ideally rendered scenes of daily life, including The Life of Marianne by Marivaux the tale of a woman advancing towards and against everything, Antigone the "little" heroine one day deciding to say no and Sartre's Existentialism and Humanism. A whole which makes Blue is the Warmest Color a very great film, achieving spontaneous fusion between body and soul. Translated from French One of the most talked about entries at this year’s Cannes Film Festival had exploded as somewhat of a surprise after its initial screening — and for fine reason. Blue is the Warmest Color translated from La Vie D’Adele chapters 1 et 2 is a vivid portrait of the ever-changing seasons of love, from the first kiss to the final goodbye. Adapted from a French graphic novel Blue Angel and directed by Tunisian filmmaker Abdellatif Kechiche, it’s a film which chronicles the experience of an adolescent girl as she navigates life from high school and blossoms into a young adult with her first job as a kindergarten teacher. In between, she experiences the trials and tribulations associated with growing up, including dating and discovering your own sexuality. Treated with delicate care and nuanced details, Blue is the Warmest Color is one of the most sensually provocative and intimate films of the year, a work that is sure to resonate with audiences for some time to come. The plot revolves around the life of Adele — played brilliantly by relative newcomer Adèle Exarchopoulos — whose routine life, at 15, consists of going to school and gossiping with friends about their crushes. At this young age, Adele doesn’t feel the need to question the norms of society girls date boys and that’s that. But after hooking up with one of the most popular guys in school, she realizes there is something missing in this intimate equation. Her desires are absent in the face of what her classmates expect to be the perfect guy for her, confusing her own identity as, late at night, she contemplates what could be wrong. Everything changes when a chance encounter leads Adele to meet a blue haired girl Emma — given life by Léa Seydoux in a hypnotically enigmatic performance — who will change her life trajectory forever. As their relationship blossoms, Adele’s sense of desire is unleashed in the passionate moments they share together. It’s difficult to discuss Blue without mentioning some scenes of intense and graphic lesbian sex that echo throughout. While it may be shocking for more conservative viewers, these moments of intense passion are essential for the film and a privilege for audiences — in their length, they allow viewers to explore levels of intimacy in an unprecedented manner. It helps define both characters’ connection to one another, and Kechiche is careful not to exploit these moments, instead letting the camera observe from a detached point of view. As Adele and Emma start to become a serious item, eventually moving in together, they face the problems and challenges that any couple face, straight or gay. In between conversations about philosophy and art Emma is an accomplished painter, their mutual desire for one another further develops their personality, giving a rich and complete portrait to each woman’s life. Coupled with intimate directorial garnishes, such characteristics give a sense of jumping into the life of another; it’s a wonder to behold. Themes of romance are treated with equal attention as those of breaking up, and the longing for someone you still have affection for is a palpable and relatable emotion to anyone who’s been hopelessly in love. Despite its three-hour runtime, the film never languishes in its pace, with a script that constantly keeps viewers drawn to characters as if they were brand-new. Reminiscent of the raw emotional power akin to the Dardenne brothers, there is also a layer of socioeconomic conflict paired alongside the emotional hurdles both Adele and Emma face. Kechiche’s direction is subdued yet penetrating, and it seems near-impossible not to be moved by both the joy and pain in Adele’s experience. Affecting and powerful in its portrayal of love, Blue is the Warmest Color is an epic ode to the enduring affection which overwhelms when we find that special someone. Blue is the Warmest Color was awarded the Palme d’Or, and will be released later this year by Sundance Selects.