I actually watched this movie more than halfway through some years ago, but I don't know why I never finished it until today; I decided to just do it and check it off the watchlist. I'm trying to write longer reviews, but I do suck at them a bit, so let's see how this transformation of raw thoughts into hopefully sensible words goes. I don't know why I feel like I shouldn't like this movie, but I did. Not a crazy amount, but I did. I can't deny myself the truth. It is widely and justifiably criticised for the unnecessary sexualisation of the love between two women and undoubtedly sets itself up in a way that can be considered, and honestly is, very male-gaze-y. The sexual part, mostly. If they had decided to approach the intimate scenes differently, I genuinely think the reactions could have been very different. It's just so obviously done in a disgusting, particularly fetishistic way, and that is so sad. I'm not trying to say I should've directed this or anything. Still, literally anyone who would rather watch a normal movie than soft porn can probably agree that if those scenes had played out differently, it would've been much less obvious how little respect the people behind them seem to have for women or their love. It could've been such a good opportunity to actually showcase the realness of Adèle and Emma's relationship arc and dynamic: Adèle seeing Emma for the first time, their first interaction, their meetings, everything that gradually builds between them. Especially from Adèle's perspective, the way she grows as a person, how she feels, subtly how she changes, her mannerisms, how she makes the audience feel. All of that could've been done so beautifully, and to an extent, it was. But of course, they had to ruin it. And I'm not advocating for having no sexual scenes at all. There's a very big, fat, distinct line between sexualisation and eroticism, and I think this movie could've done eroticism incredibly well. Eroticism isn't necessarily about explicit depiction; it's more about desire, anticipation, intimacy, pleasure, aesthetics, imagination, the feeling of being attracted to and wanting someone. The erotic can actually leave something to the imagination rather than putting absolutely everything in front of you. That would've worked so much better here, because it could've made the intimacy feel like an extension of Adèle's experience rather than an object for the audience to stare at. The erotic part could've worked perfectly if they wanted to make it erotic. They just chose sexualisation instead. And then there's the age gap, which makes the whole thing even more complicated. Adèle is 16 and Emma is 22. That is a BIG factor that cannot and shall not be excused. At the same time, I think part of what makes this uncomfortable is that we're actually supposed to be uncomfortable. We're supposed to sit in that mental dilemma of experiencing the intimacy of what we're watching while simultaneously questioning it. Those two things have to exist side by side. I didn't even realise the age gap was that big while watching because I didn't Google it until afterwards, so I was obviously participating in some of the romanticisation myself without fully realising what I was romanticising. And having that information afterwards makes me look back at the relationship differently. Coming back to Adèle herself, the way her character is introduced and basically everything about her feels so authentic. It's a fairly simple yet likeable introduction. She isn't made out to be an extreme of any kind, just painfully normal. Something so novel about that. And like any normal teenage high schooler, I suppose, she also gets influenced and, in a way, pressured by her friends to get with Thomas. I know it isn't technically or typically pressure, but with the way he's introduced, her friends obviously like him for her or something like that. Her connection with Thomas isn't inherently forced, but it also doesn't feel completely, organically hers either. Yes, meeting someone through school and friends is completely organic, duh. But the setup of it made me feel like maybe she liked the idea of being with him more than she actually liked him. As a partner, not a person. That's just my interpretation of their fling, but it was solidified by the fact that she eventually breaks things off. I felt there was some lack of satisfaction with Thomas, like she wasn't content and her heart was longing for something more, even though she clearly didn't know what that something was. She says she doesn't know what the problem is and that she's sorry she can't be with Thomas anymore, which makes me think she genuinely wasn't aware of the absence of what she truly wanted. And that part alone is pretty beautiful. Because genuinely, yes, that is what being a teenager can feel like sometimes. Even when you don't know what you want, you know what you don't want. And sometimes there isn't a reason for not wanting something, or
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