Deemed too racy to warrant a mere R rating, Blue Is the Warmest Color is now being deemed too important to uphold even such guidance. Abdellatif Kechiche’s highly publicized lesbian-themed drama finally opened in select American theaters on Friday with the rare NC-17 tag, but some theater’s are refusing to enforce the recommendation.
The IFC Center in Greenwich Village, New York City is openly stating that it will not refuse admission to children under 17, as it sees the film as appropriate and highly relatable for high school aged students. In a statement issued to The New York Times, John Vanco, senior vice president and general manager of the IFC Center, said,” This is not a movie for young children, but it is our judgment that it is not inappropriate for mature, inquiring teenagers who are looking ahead to the emotional challenges and opportunities that adulthood holds.”
The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), whose ratings board issues the classifications, reserves an NC-17 rating for a film that “most parents would consider patently too adult for their children 17 and under.” Blue’s over 10 minutes of unbridled lesbian sex are mainly what may have helped it reach that benchmark, though the rating doesn't necessarily mean "pornographic," and even so the MPAA’s recommendation comes without any legally binding ramifications.
As stated in MPAA's Classification and Rating Rules:
Blue Is the Warmest Color, based on Julia Maroh’s graphic novel, runs nearly three hours and includes lengthy and unbridled lesbian sex scenes and frighteningly real fight scene between the young lovers, played by Adèle Exarchopoulos and Léa Seydoux (Farewell My Queen, Midnight in Paris). The film opened in Los Angeles and New York on October 25 and will be at select theaters across the country in November.
For more on the never ending drama in and surounding the film, click
HERE.
