Film review by Lily Pritchard
Acclaimed director Abdellatif Kechiche’s latest film, based on Julie Maroh’s graphic novel, is a lesbian coming-of-age drama between two female leads.
It was the star of this year’s Cannes Film Festival even before it was awarded the Palme d’Or. Chairman of the jury, Steven Spielberg, called the film magnificent. He insisted the prize was accepted not only by the director, but also by the two young stars, Léa Seydoux and Adèle Exarchopoulos.
Although lengthy at 3 hours, this is paramount to introducing the characters properly. Adèle (Exarchopoulos) is a shy, smart high school student who finds that she is lonely and that there is something missing in her love life. With doe eyes and dewy skin, the seventeen year old is unapologetic in the way she hitches up her jeans, wipes her nose and yawns constantly. Kechiche captures the awkwardness and chaos of teenage years perfectly.
A brief fling with classmate Thomas leaves her unfulfilled. However, a fleeting encounter with blue-haired Fine Art student Emma (Seydoux) turns Adèles life upside down. Emma is a lightning bolt that fills the void within her, the romantic spark is instant and creates a love that threatens to both engulf and overwhelm them.
Their blossoming relationship is intoxicating and emotionally draining. The film features several explicit and controversial sex scenes, the first of which I can only describe as uncomfortable.
I already had preconceptions of the actresses being objectified by the straight-male director. Since the film was released, they have both said Kechiche was “oppressive, intrusive, and even tyrannical” in the demands he made. Julie Maroh, who wrote the original graphic novel, dismissed Kechiche’s adaptation as a straight person’s fantasy of gay love. I agree, the scenes felt invasive with the lingering hand-held camera angles and at times, the sex was unrealistic. At certain points it felt like a manifestation of the directors own sexual desires.
Apart from this, the frank and intimate account is shot with genuine grace and Kerchiche delivers a film of vast emotional complexity and richness. The film is a celebration of love, life and sexuality: as cataclysmic, destructive and monumental as they should be.
I feel the film would have been more authentic if shot by a woman, even more so if she herself identified as gay. However, the gripping performances by the two leads had me transfixed and the story was told in a way that was touchingly universal and quite simply unforgettable.
This is definitely not one to miss.
You must be logged in to post a comment.