Netflix restricts access to polarizing film Blue Is the Warmest Color

Netflix has blocked Blue Is the Warmest Color for subscribers on its ad-supported tier, a restriction the streamer says stems mainly from rights-related issues. The film remains available to other viewers on the service. Directed by Abdellatif Kechiche, the 180-minute drama follows a romance between two women played by Léa Seydoux and Adèle Exarchopoulous.

The director and both leads were jointly awarded the Palme d'Or at Cannes; the movie opened domestically with an NC-17 rating and drew attention for a graphic sex scene lasting more than 10 minutes. Blue Is the Warmest Color is based on a graphic novel and earned roughly $20 million worldwide against a reported $5 million budget.

It holds a Certified Fresh 88% score on Rotten Tomatoes, where the critics' consensus calls it, "Raw, honest, powerfully acted, and deliciously intense, Blue Is the Warmest Color offers some of modern cinema's most elegantly composed, emotionally absorbing drama." Controversy has extended beyond the film itself.

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