While Sydney Sweeney and Amanda Seyfried‘s The Housemaid continues to perform exceptionally at the box office, another erotic film — perhaps the most controversial of them all — is becoming increasingly difficult for some Netflix users to access. The platform has restricted Blue Is the Warmest Colour, along with over 100 additional titles, for subscribers on its ad-supported tier. This restriction is primarily due to legal reasons, as Netflix lacks the necessary rights to display ads on certain titles. Blue is the Warmest Colour, released over a decade ago, instantly sparked controversy due to its graphic sex scenes between stars Léa Seydoux, who portrayed a painter, and Adèle Exarchopoulous, who played a teenager undergoing a sexual awakening. Further controversy arose when both stars reported that the atmosphere on set was highly toxic.
Blue Is the Warmest Colour premiered in competition at the Cannes Film Festival in 2013, where it ultimately won the prestigious Palme d’Or. This marked the first occasion that the festival’s top prize was awarded to actors, with both Seydoux and Exarchopoulous receiving accolades alongside director Abdellatif Kechiche. The film was a box office success, grossing approximately $20 million worldwide. Based on a graphic novel of the same name, Blue Is the Warmest Colour currently holds a “certified fresh” 88% rating on the aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes, where the critics’ consensus states, “Raw, honest, powerfully acted, and deliciously intense, Blue Is the Warmest Color offers some of modern cinema’s most elegantly composed, emotionally absorbing drama.”
‘Blue Is the Warmest Colour’ Was Tainted by Controversy
The film’s legacy has been impacted over time by repeated allegations against Kechiche. A 10-minute sex scene was filmed over 10 days by the director, resulting in both stars experiencing significant stress. In an interview with The Daily Beast, Seydoux mentioned that she couldn’t sit and felt dizzy after performing over 100 takes of a stare-down shot. After they finished, she smiled at Exarchopoulous, which triggered Kechiche’s furious reaction. According to Seydoux, he threw a monitor into the street. Both actresses stated they would likely never work with him again. “In America, we’d all be in jail,” Seydoux remarked, referencing the working conditions on set. Blue Is the Warmest Colour is available on Netflix but not on the ad-supported tier. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates.
