This post is spoiler free
So, after months of stalling, I finally decided to tackle the period drama “portrait of a lady on fire”.It depicts the story between a French aristocrat(Héloïse) and a female painter(Marianne) paid to make her wedding portrait in secret while posing as Héloïse walking companion. As such, the Cannes award for best screenplay winner came with a lot of promises, especially knowing that Director Céline Sciamma isn’t exactly a Cannes first-timer. But now, past projects aside, is “portrait of a lady on fire”, as a stand-alone film, really worth watching? It wouldn’t be the first time that an award-winning movie left the viewer with nothing but disappointment. Well, dear readers, fear not for I went ahead and watched it for you all! And here’s why I think you should jump that leap of faith too and invest some of your time and emotions in that movie.
The first thing that made this viewing experience interesting was the approach Sciamma took on love. Here it’s a fleeting moment, a memory in the making, and that was made clear since the first scene of the movie. Furthermore,what makes these feelings stand out, even more, is the relationship between the characters themselves. Indeed, there could have been a lot of factors influencing their relationships dynamic like their social status, their sexuality, the knowledge that what is happening between them isn’t going to last. But Instead, there was no internal conflict coming in the way like it’s usually portrayed in queer movies. On the contrary, you could say that the fact that these feelings were exchanged between two women gave the relationship a certain immunity to the demands and expectations of society .Héloïse and Marianne took it as it is. Nothing but raw feelings and passion. It did feel like they “invented something new”.It gave this story a certain level of intimacy and companionship.
Talking about intimacy, another thing that I really appreciated in this movie is the way it portrayed the sexual aspect and desires of the two main characters. The concept of consent is clearly present between the two ladies and the sexual tension isn’t obnoxiously thrown in with a ten-minute sex scene.In fact, it was always here. From the first interaction between Héloïse and Marianne, we could see the tension flowing in the air. From the “stolen” glances to the tones of their voices, their passion can clearly be seen.Moreover,anytime there’s a mention of sex or nudity, we can see that both of the leading women are open with there desires, it feels so natural and intimate. Not like it’s some “scandalous lesbian sex scene”.
Another thing worth watching the movie for is the way it’s laced with cultural and literary references. The glimpse of art history and the very fitting use of the myth of Orpheus give this movie a whole different layer of depth. Without forgetting how Sciamma is able to tackle modern themes through characters like Marianne, Sophi(the maid of the household), and Héloïse all while staying historically accurate. I would even say that the historical accuracy played to her advantage.
But most of all, what really made all of these aspects of the movie stand out, for me, was the incredible acting. Adèle Haenel and Noémie Merlant honestly made the characters look real, they gave the story a vassal. You can see the feelings though their eyes, in their smiles and movement, in the tones of their voices. Besides,with the minimalistic style of Sciamma, the acting really stood out.
With it’s incredible acting and storytelling,this movie took me on a beautiful journey of love in coastal France of the 18th century.Between paintings, music and card games, this movie left me crying and reflecting on a lot of interesting ideas it sparked in me,so yes,it is worth watching. Will it have this same effect on you? There’s only one way to find out.
golden cult 