The film "The Life of Adele": reviews, actors and roles, director

In 2013 at the International Film Festival in Cannes for the first time the film "Life Adele" was shown. At this festival, and later on others, the picture was awarded a lot of prestigious awards. Such generosity unusual for film critics was explained by the current theme of same-sex love, which was more than frankly disclosed in this tape.

"Adel's life"

The script of the film is written on the basis of the erotic comic strip by Julie Marot "Blue is the warmest color".

In France, the tape was released under the name La vie d'Adèle - Chapitres 1 et 2, in English-speaking countries - Blue Is The Warmest Color, and in the CIS - "Life Adele".

With a very modest budget (4 million euros), the picture was 5 times more in the box office, so the director (Abdelatif Keshish) does not exclude the possibility of a sequel.

Scandalous fame, as well as many awards, the tape received for the story about the everyday life of a lesbian couple with quite frank erotic scenes. At the same time, Keeshish claims that his work is devoted to human relationships, and not specifically to the theme of homosexuality, which serves as a background in his film.

Plot

The French high school student Adele feels different from her friends. Going on a date with a charming guy named Tom, the girl understands that he does not care about her. Because of the pressure of others, she tries to have a closer relationship with him. But sex does not help young people to get closer, but, on the contrary, leads to parting.

To distract himself, Adele and a gay friend go to a nightclub. Here she meets a young artist named Emma. Between the girls a friendship is fastened, which quickly develops into a violent passion.

After finishing school, Adele starts living with her lover, doing all the housework. In addition, the girl tries to support Emma in her work, trying to adjust to his girlfriend. Emma, on the contrary, becomes cool to her half and moves away from Adele, beginning to flirt with another girl.

Feeling unhappy, the heroine starts an affair with a colleague at work who has long been trying to look after her. Soon, Emma finds out about this and drives Adele out of the house.

Time passes, however, the main character can not forget her beloved. She is trying to establish relations with her, but it turns out that Emma already has another passion, which has become for her a new muse.

Arriving at the ex-girlfriend's exhibition, Adele feels there is too much - most of their mutual acquaintances with Emma, and the artist herself, do not pay attention to it. The only exception is Samir, whom Adele met as Emma's muse. He only notes the departure of the girl and tries to catch up with her, but runs in the wrong direction.

Problem of the picture

Although many viewers see in the film the usual story of lesbians with numerous bed scenes, the problems that affect this picture are more extensive.

First of all, the film "Life Adele" is a story about finding your second half. Throughout the picture, the heroine desperately seeks love and understanding. However, both Tom and Emma do not particularly try to understand the nature of the girl, for them she is nothing more than a beautiful face. Only Samir tries to understand the aspirations of Adele, but the director leaves this love line open.

Abdelatif Keshish in his film tries to show viewers that same-sex love between women is not so exalted as it is often liked to represent. Although women are more gentle creatures, in relationships they are also able to be rude and inattentive. Like men, lesbians are able to be polygamous and start romances on the side.

Another problem raised in the film "The Life of Adele" (2013) is the ability of a person to be himself, not to hide under masks. So, at first glance, Emma is a more open personality. The girl boldly recognizes her orientation, and also does not hide from her parents that Adele is her passion.

The main character is completely different: she hides from her relatives and colleagues at work a connection with Emma, and her experiences are within her.

However, if you take a closer look, you can see that the behavior of each of the girls is a consequence of the environment in which they grew up. So, Emma's mother and stepfather are broad-minded people. They raised a daughter the same. To be yourself, the artist does not need to overcome something.

It's the other way around with Adele. Her relatives are the guardians of traditional values. Once not the same, the girl runs the risk of being misunderstood and losing them. For this reason, the heroine hides her essence.

Really reveals the true nature of the girls in their relationship. So, Adele turns out to be sincere, desperate and sacrificial. But Emma often behaves like a selfish hypocrite who prefers to lie to her friend, rather than admit that she is losing interest in her.

Project Director

Among the awards won by the painting "The Life of Adele" (2013) - "The Golden Palm Branch", handed to Abdelatif Keshish in Cannes for the excellent direction and adaptation of comics for film adaptation.

Before becoming a film director, Kesish worked in the theater, and also tried himself as an actor in various projects ("Cesar's Night", "Tea with Mint", "Vampire in Paradise"), however, without much success.

Widespread fame in Europe came to him at the beginning of the two thousandths thanks to the director's work on such films as "Voltaire is guilty of everything", "Uvertka", "Kus-kus and murabulka" and "Black Venus". It is noteworthy that the script for all of these projects, Abdelatif himself wrote.

Adele Ekzarkkopoulos in the role of the protagonist

The actress, who played the main role, is called in the same way as her heroine, Adele.

She spent her childhood in Paris, but at first she did not think of a career in cinema. But the parents, to help the girl cope with excessive shyness, gave Adel for acting courses. Soon she debuted in the picture "Marta".

Next, the girl starred in several passing ribbons, and at the age of 19 she was noticed by Abdelatif Keshish and invited to appear in the tape "Life Adele".

For the role in this film, Adel Excarcupoulos was awarded the "Golden Palm Branch" (becoming the youngest winner of this award), "Cesar", as well as many other film awards in the US and Britain.

Today, this young actress is one of the most popular in France. In 2016, the international film "Anarchists" with her in the main role, and in 2017-2018. It is planned to release five more films with her participation.

The role of Adele in the film actress was a great success. Despite the fact that her partner in the filming was Leah Seydou, who was at that time a more famous and experienced actress, Excarcupoulos did not let herself be eclipsed. Unlike Seydou, Adele participated in all the bed scenes of the picture, and although it was a difficult test for the girl, she stood it worthy.

Leah Seydou in the role of Emma

Like Adele, Leah decided to become an actress to fight her complexes. However, except for shyness, the girl suffered from claustrophobia. Starting to engage in acting courses, Seydu was able to overcome her fears.

Film debates took place in 2006 in a low-profile comedy "Girls on top: French kiss". After participating in this project, Lea was often invited to appear.

Starting with the picture "Beautiful fig tree", Seydu begins to play the main characters in French films. And after participating in "Inglourious Basterds" the girl often appears in Hollywood projects ("Robin Hood", "Midnight in Paris", "Grand Budapest Hotel", "Lobster", "007: Spectrum").

The role of a lesbian in the tape "Life Adele" is not the first in the career of an actress. Previously, she starred in the film "Farewell, my queen," where she played the maid of the French Queen Marie Antoinette, in love with her mistress.

Although Excarcupoulos eclipsed Seyda in the film "Life Adele", reviews about her play in this project Lea got the most flattering. In addition, for the role of Emma, she was also awarded the "Golden Palm Branch", becoming the third woman awarded this award.

The role in the picture of Laertes

The first guy Adele - a high school student of Tom - was played by the beginning French actor Jeremy Laertes. Before participating in La vie d'Adèle - Chapitres 1 et 2 he managed to star in three films (Marseille la nuit, Détour and Punk).

If in the film "Life Adele" the hero, played by Jeremy Laertes, was cast by his beloved girl, then in real life everything happened differently. Some time after the premiere, Jeremy and Adele began to appear together at various official events. And even later, journalists were able to shoot them with kisses. The lovers themselves confirm that they meet, but they do not give any more comments.

Participation in the project of Salim Kesyush

Unlike other actors in the film, Salim Keshyush started his career back in the middle of the nineties. Being from a poor Algerian family, the guy suffered a lot on the way to the spotlights.

At first, a handsome young man considered the profession of an actor simply entertainment. However, having played in the tape "Criminal lovers", he seriously took a great interest in this work.

Since 2004, Salim Keshush has also started working in the theater. In addition, the actor is beginning to invite to appear in photosessions for glossy magazines.

In the tape "Life of Adele" Salim played in love with the main character of the actor Samir. Unlike the other boyfriends of the girl, the hero of Salima sees in her an extraordinary person and tries to support her aspirations. But as soon as the young people skip a spark, their communication is interrupted. The picture ends with Samir looking for Adele, but it is unclear whether he will find it or not.

The reaction of critics to the "Life of Adele"

Julie Marot (the author of the comics, on the basis of which the tape was filmed) favorably approached the film version of her novel, however she criticized the bed scenes between the main characters, calling them inconclusive and too picturesque.

But the American magazine Variety found the image of lesbian sex in the film the most passionate in the history of cinema.

Severe Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian praised the tape, assigning it 4 stars out of 5.

According to the rating of British and French newsreels, she took the third place in the top ten pictures shot in 2013, the tape "Life Adele".

The reviews were excellent also on the famous sites Rotten Tomatoes (90% positive) and Metacritic (88%).

In Russia and Ukraine, eminent critics in most cases did not comment on this project. The thing is that after the successful presentation in Cannes, Abdelatif Keshish arrived with the picture "Life Adel" at the Russian film festival in Moscow and Ukrainian in Odessa. However, the director ignored these invitations.

Picture «Life Adele»: reviews of cinephiles

As for ordinary viewers, they also very warmly met this tape. First of all, positive comments about it were left by representatives of non-traditional orientation, as well as people in solidarity with them.

At the same time, viewers who adhere to traditional views, also reacted well to the tape, which they expressed in their reviews and reviews.

The filmmakers noted realism in the film, relating to the relationship and manner of shooting. At the same time, the over-saturation of the tape with erotic scenes was subjected to criticism, as well as their excessive naturalism and tightness.

Interesting facts about the picture

• During the filming of Leah at the request of the director painted her blond hair in blue. The actress was embarrassed to walk along the street so she often hid her hair under the hat.
• The entire film crew of the film "Life Adel" reviews the most negative about the work with Abdelatif Keshish, calling him despotic and stingy boor who forced actors to work double shifts and on weekends, did not pay extra for processing. In one of the interviews, actresses Lea and Adele announced that they would no longer work with him for any money.
• After the success of Adel's Life, rumors spread in the newspapers about the non-standard orientation of the performers of the main roles. At first, the girls did not comment on these gossip to draw attention to the picture. But later they had to make an official statement, in which they denied these rumors.
• In addition to questions about the orientation of the performers of the main roles, many viewers were interested in how the "Life of Adele" was shot, in particular the erotic scenes between the girls. In one of the interviews Keshish told that in order not to confuse the actresses during the filming of sex between their heroines, only he and the operator were present.

In recent years, fashion has spread to pictures about homosexuals. "Adel's life" differs from most similar projects in that it features a lesbian theme as a background, and human relationships are brought to the forefront. The open final of the film, in turn, gives each spectator a chance to decide for himself how the future of Adele will turn out.