Blue Is the LukeWarmest Colour Part 2

     Three motifs abound in Kechiche's work: Butts, spaghetti, and crying. These elements are repeated over and over again. We constantly peer into Adèle's mouth, watching her chow down on spaghetti or oysters (which she eats after she makes love with Emma - apparently Kechiche thinks that lesbians cannot grasp irony). Kechiche has a strange fascination with shots of food, shooting a glob of spaghetti with more tact and admiration than his actresses.

     Now, I did not hate this film. It has virtues that push it into "Good" territory. Exarchopoulos is really as amazing as you've heard. She can flash a seductively radiant smile one minute, and bawl her eyes out on the turn of a dime whilst maintaining an unteachable natural authenticity (her post-cry snot-streams are up there with Heather Donahue's). Exarchopoulos is radiant, and holds a frame like a star. Her performance keeps the film afloat. Also, there are some fun weird touches thrown in the film, like Adèle going ham on Emma's fingers, sucking them down in a crowded restaurant as a desperate plea for reconciliation. Like, her whole fist is in her mouth. A touch goofy, but effective.     

     But then again, I would be allot kinder to the film had Kechiche known how to compose a frame. Here, he tries to ape the Dardenne brothers shooting style (uncomfortably close to subject, camera always in lockstep with the face), but fails, instead sharing more of an aesthetic likening to a poor mumblecore film. One can spot the merit of a director by his use of space in long shots (how one positions characters in a frame should help you establish character dynamics through spatial manipulation), and here every long shot is an eyesore, the most standard coverage possible - that pseudo-verite, broadcast television style not too far divorced from "Modern Family". Aside from a few pretty close-ups (one standout being Adèle and Emma kissing in the park, the sun showing out of their mouths as their lips collide and dissipate) this is plain Jane cinematography 101.
     
     You should see where this story is headed: tragedy lurks ahead. But instead of using his three hours of runtime to set up the relationship's demise, he instead focuses on endless classroom sequences - giving the cheating/breakup revelation buildup maybe fifteen minutes in all, leaving it awkward and abrupt (painting Emma as a violent harpy). Again, the acting redeems the scene, but it is strangely structured and executed. Kechiche must have run out of footage having shot 400 hours worth of the craft services table.

     The pieces of a great romance/tragedy are just out of arms reach. The love story should feel fresh, but instead Kechiche serves reheated leftovers.

 Pair: