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Cannes’ Palme d’Or winner Blue is the Warmest Color (La Vie d'Adele - Chapitre 1 & 2), a film with a moving love story and explicit lesbian sex scenes from Tunisian director Abdellatif Kechiche, has been awarded an NC-17 rating by the MPAA, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Based on the 2010 graphic novel of the same name, Blue is the Warmest Color, out in the U.S. this October 25, stars newcomer Adele Exarchopoulos as 15-year-old Adele and Léa Seydoux (Farewell, My Queen, Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol and Midnight in Paris) as her girlfriend Emma.
Despite the restrictive rating earned for its “explicit sexual content” (rumor has it that Blue has a 30-minute lesbian sex scene), the film’s distributor Sundance Selects intends to distribute the film as is, without contesting the rating or making cuts to the film, according to THR.
"This is a landmark film with two of the best female performances we have ever see on screen. The film is first and foremost a film about love, coming of age and passion. We refuse to compromise Kechiche's vision by trimming the film for an R rating, and we have every confidence that Blue Is the Warmest Color will play in theaters around the country regardless,” said Jonathan Sehring, president of Sundance Selects/IFC Films, according to THR.
While not many films actually get released with the NC-17 rating, Blue is among some good company with the rating. Philip Kaufman’s 1990 biopic Henry and June (starring Maria de Madeiros and Uma Thurman), about erotic writer Anais Nin’s love affair with Henry Miller and his long-time partner June, was the first film to receive an NC-17 rating. Several of Spanish auteur Pedro Almodovar’s early films also earned the rating. More recently, Blue Valentine and Shame earned the rating.
“An NC-17 rating no longer holds the stigma it once did, and we look forward to bringing this unforgettable film to audiences nationwide,” added Sehring. “We believe this film will leave a lasting imprint as the The Last Tango in Paris for a whole new generation."
Here’s the international trailer sans subtitles (but even the non-French speaking can get the picture).
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Tracy E. Gilchrist is the VP, Executive Producer of Entertainment for the Advocate Channel. A media veteran, she writes about the intersections of LGBTQ+ equality and pop culture. Previously, she was the editor-in-chief of The Advocate and the first feminism editor for the 55-year-old brand. In 2017, she launched the company's first podcast, The Advocates. She is an experienced broadcast interviewer, panel moderator, and public speaker who has delivered her talk, "Pandora's Box to Pose: Game-changing Visibility in Film and TV," at universities throughout the country.
Tracy E. Gilchrist is the VP, Executive Producer of Entertainment for the Advocate Channel. A media veteran, she writes about the intersections of LGBTQ+ equality and pop culture. Previously, she was the editor-in-chief of The Advocate and the first feminism editor for the 55-year-old brand. In 2017, she launched the company's first podcast, The Advocates. She is an experienced broadcast interviewer, panel moderator, and public speaker who has delivered her talk, "Pandora's Box to Pose: Game-changing Visibility in Film and TV," at universities throughout the country.
