By Mary Malia for YourTango.com
A lesbian-themed film won at Cannes. Wow! How is that possible? Why did it happen? Is it a film that shows the reality of lesbian life, love and coming out? Or does it pander to heterosexual ideas of lesbian love and turn lesbian sex into a porn show?
Abdellatif Kechiche's "Blue Is The Warmest Color" walked off with two trophies at this year's Cannes film festival: the Palme d'Or and a special award for its two lead actresses, Adele Exarchopoulos and Lea Seydoux.
Lesbian film is taking off. The quality of films coming out in this genre is growing. The actors involved are well-known in the industry, often award winners themselves. The cinematography is increasingly well-done and often amazingly beautiful. The scripts are well-written and the acting has moved from amateurish and stilted to experienced and smooth, with excellent story-telling and directing.
Lesbian-themed films are also becoming more accepted in the mainstream. This may be a result of the fantasy of straight men who carry around the idea that a threesome with two women is the height of sexual experience. The problem with that is, of course, that there are very few lesbians who are interested in being a character in that "home movie."
The author of the book on which the film is based, Julie Maroh, says that she views the film version as having turned something beautiful about lesbian life into porn. She's also disappointed that none of the actresses are actual lesbians.
Another recent film release is "A Perfect Ending," starring an interesting cast including Barbara Niven as the lead, playing a married woman who has never had an orgasm. Her life is passing by too fast and she wants to feel passion. She hooks up with a high-end prostitute played by Jessica Clark (who is, of course, gorgeous). David Niven also stars in the movie as Barbara Niven's husband.
Here is a beautiful story involving a woman in mid-life and a younger woman who becomes her lover about how love helps them heal from losses in their lives.
Nicole Conn, who wrote and directed the movie, and Marina Rice Bader, its executive producer, won an award for the film at the LA Femme International Film Festival in 2012. This movie also has lesbian sex scenes, but without the drama of the "scissor sex" scene in "Blue Is The Warmest Color."
A third amazingly beautiful love story that was released in the last couple of years is "Cloudburst" starring Olympia Dukakis. Again, not a lesbian, but an Oscar-winning actor who brought so much passion and scrappiness to this delightful film of an aging lesbian couple who just want to get married, and went on a wild adventure to make it happen. Delightful.
So if you're in need of a lesbian movie fix, I recommend that you check out "Cloudburst" and "A Perfect Ending." They can both be streamed online through WolfeOnDemand. While "Blue Is The Warmest Color" won't even hit theaters until October, you don't have to wait to see some great lesbian films.
Now, if you haven't yet become a serious viewer of lesbian films because they haven't been easily available where you live, that problem is over. Streaming films over the Internet to your computer or even television is simple to do. Rev up your connection to lesbian community, schedule a romantic dinner date and take advantage of how technology is making the world a smaller place.
Lesbian love and dating is the focus of Gay Girl Dating Coach. And I want to invite you to take advantage of my special offer to receive a free chapter from my book, The Gay Girl's Guide to Avoid the 14 Dating Traps. If you'd like to dig in and break through the barriers to love in your life, you can schedule a 30-minute Love Strategy call with me at no charge. Book it now!
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This article originally appeared on YourTango.com: "'Blue Is The Warmest Color': Is Lesbian Love In Movies Realistic?"
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