Blue Is the Warmest Color (La vie d'Adèle) (2013)

Drama, Romance

Director: Abdellatif Kechiche
Writers: Abdellatif Kechiche, adaptation and dialogue), Ghalia Lacroix, Julie Maroh
Starring: Léa Seydoux, Adèle Exarchopoulos, Salim Kechiouche, Aurélien Recoing

A beautiful award-winning lesbian coming-of-age love story about love and loss, as well as about growing up and finding your identity.

The story revolvs around Adèle (the original title in French is La vie d'Adèle, which translates into The Life of Adèle) who, as a high-schooler, finds herself attracted to girls, and falls in love with Emma, a blue-haired twenty-something art student.

The film has been widely embraced as one of the most defining love stories of the new century, but was also considered controversial mainly for some really explicit and lengthy lesbian sex scenes. Leading actresses Adèle Exarchopoulos (Adèle) and Lea Seydoux (Emma), who were both praised by critics for their astounding performances, bring a realism and authenticity to the film, which can often be lacking in Hollywood films about homosexual relationships.

Plot summary from IMDb: Adèle is a high school student who is beginning to explore herself as a woman. She dates men but finds no satisfaction with them sexually, and is rejected by a female friend who she does desire. She dreams of something more. She meets Emma who is a free spirited girl whom Adèle's friends reject due to her sexuality, and by association most begin to reject Adèle. Her relationship with Emma grows into more than just friends as she is the only person with whom she can express herself openly. Together, Adèle and Emma explore social acceptance, sexuality, and the emotional spectrum of their maturing relationship.

Awards: Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 95 wins & 74 nominations.
Runtime: 179 min
NC-17