The film's premise is based on the graphic novel of the same name by Jul Maroh. Production began in March and lasted five months. Approximately hours of footage were shot, including extensive B-roll footage, with Kechiche trimming the final cut to minutes. She has sex with Thomas, a boy from school, losing her virginity, but is ultimately dissatisfied and ends their relationship.
They later have sex and begin a passionate sexual relationship. In the years that follow, the two women move in together. Emma spends more time at the party with Lise. Their relationship grows tense as it becomes clear they have little in common besides their mutual physical attraction.
Emma comes home late, having spent the evening working with Lise. Three years later, the two meet at a restaurant. Emma is in a committed partnership with Lise and helps raise Lise's three-year-old daughter, but Emma admits that she does not feel sexually fulfilled. The two part with apologies and tears. But some academics have questioned the film's treatment of lesbian sexuality, given that it was directed by a heterosexual man.
As with many male fantasies of lesbianism, the film centers on the erotic success and affective failures of relations between women". The issue of perspective was also addressed in a Film Comment review by Kristin M. Jones, who wrote, "Emma's supposedly sophisticated friends make eager remarks about art and female sexuality that seem to mirror the director's problematic approach toward the representation of women". One recurring thematic element critics and audiences identified is the division of social class and the exploration of freedom and love between the two central characters.
Some critics have noted that class difference is an ongoing theme in Kechiche's filmography. He also looks at how food can be indicative of social class.
