Adèle, played by Adèle Exarchopoulos, is a 15-year-old girl struggling to find her place in the world. Her journey is marked by a series of performances, where she experiments with different identities, trying to make sense of her desires and sense of self. Kechiche's use of long takes and naturalistic cinematography captures the fluidity and fragility of Adèle's identity formation. As she navigates her relationships with older women, particularly Emma (Léa Seydoux), Adèle's performances become increasingly nuanced, revealing the tensions between her desire for autonomy and her need for guidance.
