Lukas Moodysson for a new decade? This brought back memories of F***ing Amal (Show Me Love, 1998). There's the obvious similarities - both are about lesbians, and both not about lesbians, both coming of age dramas, scenes such as the teasing from classmates - there are also technical similarities, close ups of faces looking lost, that brutal realism (Dogme?). And like Moodysson, this is sometimes hard to watch because it's just so close and intrusive.
Anyway there's so much this movie gets right that doesn't even occur to you as you watch - casting, acting, lighting, music and so on.. one thing that stood out a bit (so a bad thing) was so much of the film consists of faces in the same close up wobbly style. Fortunate then that Adele is enough of an actress, and be honest, has an attractive and interesting enough face to sustain it. (There's a weird blurring of reality here with the use of out of character shots and name). It's the sort of performance that could be hard to ever top.
The sex scenes are already famously erotic and for once they're (sort of) both justified and sexy. one criticism that they come across as a male fantasy, long, and indulgent. so you could argue they aren't necessary, but then none of it is necessary. it's effective though.
The beginning of the story is surprisingly fast paced. The middle 2 hours is a phenomenally focused and carefully constructed drama, innocent to sad. I found the ending a bit anticlimactic, but that could just be that i was sad it did end - you're going to have to come up for air some time.
All the philosophy and art discussion doesn't really add anything for me either, perhaps works better if you can follow in French without subtitles. When you start to analyse it, there's lots that isn't subtle here - the oysters, the classroom discussions on love.. but it doesn't matter, because the acting and directing has you.
So yes, it's a flawed movie, but a passionate one, in every sense. A great reminder of how what film can do, and what most films, for whatever reason, don't do. I'll be looking out for the director's other work!