“Portrait Of A Lady On Fire”– Movie Review

On the opening weekend of the 57th New York Film Festival, I attended the New York premiere of the drama “Portrait Of A Lady On Fire”, directed by Céline Sciamma and starring Adèle Haenel and Noemie Merlant.  

Synopsis

When an artist is hired to paint a portrait of a woman who’s about to be married, what will happen when the two women wind up falling in love with each other?

Story

In late 18th century France, Marianne (Merlant), an artist, is hired to paint a portrait.  Héloïse (Haenel) is about to be married to a man in Milan – a man whom she’s never met nor is in love with.  Employed by the mother of Héloïse, Marianne must travel by boat to their mansion at a remote location in Brittany where she learns there’s a catch and it’s a big one:  Héloïse must never know her portrait is being painted. Instead, the story Héloïse is told by her mother is that Marianne is being enlisted to act as her companion – someone to accompany her during long walks on the beach.  

With this highly restrictive condition in mind, Marianne must surreptitiously set up an easel in her room and be careful to hide it should Héloïse visit.  While they embark on their daily constitutionals, Marianne is careful to take note of various details about Héloïse – her hair, her hand placement while sitting and most notably, the sadness that is unavoidably visible in her eyes.  When Marianne can sneak in a quick sketch, she does so – otherwise, she just has to memorize how Héloïse looks in a given instance. This causes some unintentionally awkward moments when Héloïse catches Marianne eyeballing her.  

When Marianne confesses the truth to Héloïse and finally shows her the finished portrait, Héloïse is displeased by her dour countenance.  As a result, Marianne destroys the painting. Héloïse’s mother must leave for a few days, so she orders Marianne to re-paint the portrait; it must be finished by her return and if she likes it, Marianne will be paid.  But in the days while the two women are alone, a mutual attraction develops and they engage in a sexual relationship.  Given that these women are in love, will Héloïse refuse to marry and instead take up with Marianne or will Héloïse abandon her and proceed with the nuptials?                 

Review

In “Portrait Of A Lady On Fire” (an excellent title only fully appreciated once you experience the movie), director Céline Sciamma brilliantly displays her skills as a visual storyteller.  Among the best examples comes early in the film when Héloïse’s face is treated as a big reveal for both the audience and for Marianne.  Other small things like placement of a mirror in a particular shot or the progress of the portrait which helps to illustrate the passage of time.  While her screenplay was deservedly winner of the Best Screenplay award at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, Sciamma’s directing choices should not be overlooked.

The ending of “Portrait Of A Lady On Fire” is nothing short of stirring; by the time the closing credits start, you feel utterly destroyed.  This is a tragic love story – there is a death, but of a romance, not of a person.  It is also about sacrifice over selfishness, to the detriment of one’s soul.  This is a film that will stay with you for days and days wondering what would have happened to these women if their story took place in the 21st century.  Ultimately, that is the real story: the social pressure that inhibits the so-called “forbidden” romance.      

Following the screening, there was an interview with director Céline Sciamma and the film’s stars, Adèle Haenel and Noemie Merlant.  Sciamma said that the last shot of the movie – which was particularly impactful – was actually done during the middle of their shoot.  Her intent was to show a tragic love story but with a feeling of joy at the end. Haenel mentioned that during filming, she experimented with delivering her lines using different inflections to see which worked best.  Merlant noted that the various subtle gestures and glances of her character were not of her own invention; instead, they were explicitly written in the shooting script.