Portrait of a Lady on Fire

Starring: Noemie Merlant, Adele Haenel, Luana Bajrami, Valeria Golino
Directed by Celine Sciamma
Rating: R
Genre: Drama, Romance
2020

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A young painter (Noemie Merlant) is hired to paint a wedding portrait of a bride (Adele Haenel) who doesn't want to be married.

Review:

Tim: I was not prepared for how much I would love Celine Sciamma's Portrait of a Lady on Fire. I was looking for more 2020 movies to watch and I saw that this was the best-rated movie on Rotten Tomatoes from the year. I was definitely in, but I didn't expect to see such a brilliantly directed, powerful love story. This is absolutely one of the best movies of the year and I'm flummoxed by the fact that it wasn't nominated for Best International Feature. Another Round was really good, but this movie is great.

Quick note here- the film was technically released at the end of 2019, but it really released in the United States in 2020. Since 2020 was such a terrible year, I'm going with the "official" domestic release and stating this is a 2020 movie.

Okay, there's so much to love here. The movie mostly takes place on an isolated island with just a few primary characters. The movie feels very far away from society and the hustle and bustle of civilization. This allows us to focus directly on the characters themselves and the movie is better for it. This is a brilliantly character-driven piece of filmmaking and these characters emerge as multidimensional, intriguing, and enjoying. I had a great time getting to know these characters and seeing their relationship dynamics change over time. This focus allows the movie to tell an intimate, focused story.

I found the characters wonderfully interesting. Marianne is one of the more fascinating characters I've seen in many years. She is first a talented artist, making her way in the world in her father's business, succeeding in a very male-dominated profession. It helps that Noemie Merlant gives one of the best performances I've ever seen in this role. I think what she did here rivaled any of the Best Actress nominees. I found myself transfixed by what Merlant was doing- her small mannerisms and actions. I wouldn't think that watching a close-up of a painter looking at her subject would be intriguing, but I couldn't tear my eyes off the screen. Sciamma made this all feel so interesting, like we were truly in on the artistic process. Merlant was excellent in the lead role. She's partnered perfectly with Adele Haenel, who likewise gives an incredible performance. Haenel starts out so restrained, closed off. Watching her open up as the story progresses was wonderful. It perfectly captures how people can influence each other and cause us to change in profound ways. Merlant and Haenel were a dynamic pairing and they worked perfectly opposite each other. They both brought different things to their performances and the movie works because of them.

Luana Bajrami gives a strong performance, too. At first, it felt like her character could be an afterthought, but the script and her performance elevates the importance of this character. She mattered to this film and her quiet performance worked so well. Valeria Golino is the only actor I recognized from the film. She has a smaller supporting role, but makes an impact on the film. She was enjoyable in the role.

One of the things I loved about this movie is the pace and tone. It is absolutely not a movie in a hurry. It's perfectly happy to linger on these subjects, to spend the time it needs to bring their story to life. This is a testament to Sciamma's confident director. She'll spend a great deal of time in closeups on the cast's faces. She'll let the camera follow the painter's brush as the work of art comes into reality. There's a lot of shots of characters looking off, thoughtful and reflecting. In another director's hands (maybe in most), this could be dull. I never felt that for a second here. Sciamma approaches the subjects and characters with such a sense of wonder and interest that it holds our attention.

The movie also happens to be a powerful love story that first establishes strong characters and then connects them emotionally to the audience. There's a ton of Hollywood movies that could learn from this one. The approach too often is- "Look at these two famous people! You care about them, right?" This movie, however, makes us care about them. It allows us to understand them beyond a surface level, to make the characters feel real to us. Once we become invested in their story, we'll follow the characters anywhere.

Portrait of a Lady on Fire is a brilliant, incredible work of art. It's a movie that I easily could have missed. It's the kind of film that does so much right, I wanted to watch it again as soon as I finished (I didn't, there's never enough time for all the movies I need to see). This is an excellent movie and one of my favorite films of 2020.



Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 8



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Blue is the Warmest Color, Pieces of a Woman