Last night my wife and I made our way to a local arts centre to watch 'Blue is the Warmest Color'.
A movie which has been highly praised, having won the Palme d'Or at Cannes film festival, has also come up against some negative opinions from the lesbian community.
We took our seats and settled in to watch this alternative French movie. I was amazed at the demographic of people who were sitting in the theatre with us, we were the youngest audience members with people well into their sixties taking a seat to see what this film was all about.
The film tells the tale of a French teenager, Adele, as we follow her from adolescence into adulthood. Adele is presented to us as a messy character, not really your typical teenage girl. She spends most of her time eating and reading and her hair is a permanent explosion.
Adele is a young woman who is sexually confused. At the start of the film we see her as she explores what it is to be with somebody of the opposite sex, she does not seem particularly satisfied.
By chance we are introduced to a blue haired, mystery girl, whom Adele sees crossing the street. This blue haired beauty has her arm her girlfriend's shoulders as she passes by Adele, the two share a glance and there is an obvious spark. This spark awakens her sexually and we see her begin to struggle with the idea of her sexuality
The two girls go on to start a relationship and this is when the fun really begins.
Let me take you back to the first time you ever saw a sex scene on television or at the movies, how did you feel? You probably squirmed in your seat, some of you may have laughed because you were nervous, perhaps you did not know which way to look?
Being a lesbian I obviously understand how lesbian sex works. Well, I must admit that the main sex scene which was presented on the big screen was kind of shocking for me at first. Unapologetically graphic it showed a medley of lesbian sex moves.
The reason I found it slightly shocking was because it was overly exaggerated. There was, perhaps, too much of a straight touch to it. Being lesbian, gay, straight, bi, or whatever your sexual preference, this scene was reminiscent of an on screen presentation of the Kama Sutra.
I am all for breaking the boundaries and introducing gay sex to the big screen, lesbians and gays have to sit through heterosexual sex scenes often enough that maybe it is time for the straight people to return the favour and have a look at something that may be completely foreign to them. However, it could probably be done in a less Karma Sutra inspired fashion. Lets be honest, that is what porn is for!
Moving past the sex scene we see these two girls move into the realm of committed relationship. Meeting the parents, living together and all else that is entailed in beginning a serious relationship with someone.
The movie was three hours long but time passed by so quickly because you became completely enthralled by what was happening on the screen. The director, Abdellatif Kechiche, has made such a starkly honest movie and the cast were simply amazing.
I feel that this movie has the potential to expel some of the taboos associated with homosexuality, especially with lesbian stereotypes. In this movie you see how broad the spectrum is, completely tearing asunder the usual idea that a lesbian is either a dyke or a femme.
I thoroughly enjoyed the movie and I would highly recommend it to everyone, even if you are a bit squeamish when it comes to sex, this movie is well worth a step outside your comfort zone.
I think the bare honesty of the movie evens the playing field, many people find homosexuality so different to heterosexuality. They may believe that the sex, the love, the type of relationship is so far removed from what they experience as heterosexuals. What I really loved about this quirky little piece of art is that it dispels those ideas. It shows a lesbian relationship exactly how it is, it shows you the highs and lows, it shows you that just like a heterosexual relationship there are ups and downs, some people are unfaithful, there are many different types of relationship, many different types of connections, both physical and emotional that you can share with people.
Overall I think I can safely say that it was an enjoyable watch, it pushes the boundaries and in turn pushes the audience to think about things in a different way. To think about and indeed see things that they may not normally think or see. I would definitely recommend this movie to anybody who is curious, who is interested, who feels like pushing themselves a little bit to see what else there is out there and to understand something that may not be within their realm of what is deemed 'normal'.
Watch and see for yourself, I promise it will get you thinking, don't be afraid of the unknown, push your boundaries, you will thank yourself for it afterwards.
No comments:
Post a Comment