Blue Is the Warmest Color

This coming of age story is not limited to the discovery of ones sexual identity, but the overall curiosity in identifying life's pleasures. Adele desperately craves intense passion, which seems to evade her in most aspects of her lonely life, despite being surrounded by family and friends.

She finally discovers it in a relationship and as the muse of Emma. All the references to Picasso are reminiscent of his Blue Period and of the melancholic state Adele seems burdened by. The sadness makes Adele's smiles, which are few and far between, seem enchanting and therein lies the pay off. Giving us hope that Adele, like Picasso, will eventually enter her Rose Period when this phase of her maturity has past.

Though much has been made of the explicit nature of the sex scenes, there is some relevancy to the character. Adele finds little pleasure in life. When something enticing like marching, parading, or food and candy presents itself, she immerses herself fully and unabashedly. So too does she completely devour Emma. However, the voyeuristic approach of the director who's constantly sexualizing the actresses does, at times, seem excessive. The movie runs long at 3 hours, nonetheless, it is easy to become captivated and lose all sense of time. The NC-17 rating means you should probably put the kiddies to bed before watching this one.