ReelBob: ‘Portrait of a Lady on Fire’ ★★★½
By Bob Bloom
“Portrait of a Lady on Fire” is a historical drama-romance that focuses on two women who, in their own ways, defy conforming to the restrictions in which society limited their lives.
The movie, set in France in 1760, deals with Marianne, a young painter, and Héloïse, a young bride-to-be who has just left the convent and is reluctant to marry.
Héloïse’s main act of defiance is not allowing anyone to paint her. Marianne is hired under the subterfuge of being a companion for the young woman. She is to observe Héloïse and paint her from memory secretly by night.
However, the two women grow close, and Héloïse learns the truth about Marianne. It does not seem to matter as the women are attracted to each other and an intimacy ensues.
Both women feel constricted — Marianne, because of limitations on whom she can paint, and Héloïse, who is simply human merchandise in a marriage contract to a man she has never met.
“Portrait of a Lady on Fire” is a very sensual movie. It is romantic and quiet, with an underlying aura of melancholy.
The movie, written and directed by Céline Sciamma, is a touching and gorgeous mosaic with beautifully composed shots and superb acting.
This story is about art and love, and how the former can be eternal, while the latter — through various circumstances — cannot endure.
The film belongs to Noémie Merlant as Marianne and Adèle Haenel as Héloïse. Merlant provides Marianne with a rebellious nature that she tries to keep in check, while Haenel affords Héloïse with a growing strength she never realized was within her.
Beneath its gloss, “Portrait of a Lady on Fire” is about how women — considered property that can be used as barter in a patriarchal world — cope with the constraints life allows them.
They chafe at a world closed to them simply because they are not men. That the women rebel silently is one of Sciamma’s marvelous conceits.
There is no hysterics, no wailing. These are women who endure because they must.
They find and take small joys whenever — and with whomever — they can.
“Portrait of a Lady on Fire” was one of the best movies of 2019. That it was not France’s entry into the Academy Awards’ international film category was disappointing.
No matter, this movie needs no awards to prove its worth. Like Marianne and Héloïse, “Portrait of a Lady on Fire” makes its points in a dignified and exquisite manner.
It’s a film that you will remember — with a finale that will break your heart.
I am a founding member of the Indiana Film Journalists Association. My reviews appear at ReelBob (reelbob.com) and Rottentomatoes (www.rottentomatoes.com). I also review Blu-rays and DVDs. I can be reached by email at bobbloomjc@gmail.com or on Twitter @ReelBobBloom. Links to my reviews can be found on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.
PORTRAIT OF A LADY ON FIRE
3½ stars out of 4
(R), nudity, sexuality