On one Tuesday night in mid-November 2013, I found myself in a line outside of the IFC Cinemas eagerly waiting to see Blue Is The Warmest Color, or "La Vie d'Adele-Chapitres 1&2."
A love story: that's all it was really. The journey between two souls, their growth, their challenges, and an ending. It was all pretty simple. Before the film premiered, there were rumors of turmoil between the director, Abdellatif Kechiche, and his stars, Adèle Exarchopoulos and Léa Seydoux. But by the time the film premiered, the director turned from a tyrant to a genius. (A transformation that, surprisingly, only male directors obtain.) The chemistry between the two heterosexual actresses was undeniable. The film had a slow but hypnotizing pace. Color was both the star and the background.
Sadly, due to deadlines and international dealings this film is not eligible for an Oscar. There was a thought that the actresses may receive lead and supporting nominations but, with the NC-17 rating and endless lesbian sex scenes, this was not the case. Sex scenes are already a touchy subject in American films, so lesbian sex is unchartered territory. A colleague asked, "Wasn't the sex scene long though?" I said, "I would hope that good sex is something that takes time."