“La Vie d’Adèle” or “Blue is the Warmest Colour,” one of the movies I’ve included in my list of must-sees, came under a lot of controversy upon its release in 2013. After the two main actresses, Lea Séydoux and Adèle Exarchopoulos did an interview with the Daily Beast, feelings towards director Abdellatif Kechiche turned rather cold.

After its initial release, the film gained immense popularity and was praised for its honest portrayal of first love. Both the main actresses and the director were quickly wrapped up in a whirlwind promo tour, as the film made headlines around the art world. It was one of these interviews that occurred, sans Kechiche, where the actresses shed the story in a slightly cooler light.

The stars highlighted the differences of making movies in France versus in America: in France, the director has all the power. Séydoux compares the process to being trapped, and giving yourself completely. The director was painted in an increasingly worse light, as Exarchopoulos began to describe the process of filming some of the sex scenes, saying “Most people don’t even dare to ask the things that he did.” Exhausting shoot days, a five and a half month long process, Kechiche’s fits of rage, taking 100 takes of the same scene; the women describe what sounds to be like a harrowing experience. The question is finally asked: was this even an enjoyable experience at all for the women? They both agree on one thing: it was horrible, and they would never work with Kechiche again.

Years after the famous interview, the actresses want to move on, and refrain from focusing on the negativity. Exarchopoulos thinks that “people just flew off the handle. It was extreme. These reactions, based on very little, went much too far. When you’re involved in a long, hard shoot with someone like Abdel, who takes real time to let his actors grow into their very passionate roles, there are going to be conflicts.” The actress takes a slightly different stance now, it seems. After another interview with The Daily Beast years later, she speaks about the experience in a less negative light. It begs the question of what sparked this change of heart; fear of being seen as a high-maintenance actress, which could possibly impact her future career? A classic case of time heals all wounds? A newfound acceptance of the process of a perfectionist director? Even though we can only speculate on this answer, I urge viewers to watch the film and form their own opinions.

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