Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019)

 

Genre: Romance/Drama                    Time: 2hrs                        Director: Céline Sciamma

Quick Summary: France, 1770. Marianne, a painter, is commissioned to do the wedding portrait of Héloïse, a young woman who has just left the convent. Héloïse is a reluctant bride-to-be and Marianne must paint her without her knowing. She observes her by day, to paint her secretly.

For a start, this has minimal dialogue but focuses on the plot moving forward through prolonged scenes of longing and subtle expression, though this means it can be extremely slow, but depending on the type of films you may enjoy it. I didn't find it dull, and the slowness of this didn't bother me, as the romance in this is very much a slow burner with a lot of tension. It is full of expression, from painting to music, to love to anguish.  

The camera work is clever in this, following the view of the main lady, Marianne (Noémie Merlant) as she follows her love interest eagerly. It focuses on the close-up of their faces as they study each other in quiet contemplation, their desires shown between the lines of the script, panning towards various small subtle hints like a smile faintly seen from our Main Lady's view of her love interest.

It paints the idea of love and romance in such a lovely light that forms two people's emotions into a work of art. I adore that whilst doing this it still manages to keep a gentle sensitivity to it,  exploring the feeling of falling in love so intensely. 

This is sad, I really disliked how slow it was. I took its sweet time to draw me in, it wasn't that I wasn't interested, it was just some of the scenes were too long, and very little sound aside from "natural" sounds. Music is only used when being played directly within the movie. I thought it was a clever idea honestly, but because there was minimal dialogue I missed it. 

The aesthetic of this film was absolutely stunning. Every shot was so beautiful to look at, and the palette was so eye pleasing. Mirroring our main lovers it's full of bright blues and greens, and soft natural browns and reds with an overall warm tone to it, illuminated by candles and fireplaces. 

The acting in this is wonderful too, conveyed through subtlety whilst carrying an immense weight. As Marianne, Noemie Merlant, acts with such poise and sureness but as her feelings become deeper, she loses that and slowly gives in to expression. On the flip side,  Adèle Haenel is so full of warmth and strength, being afraid to allow these feelings at first before finally jumping in the deep end.

7/10

"In solitude, I felt the liberty you spoke of. But I also felt your absence."

" When you're observing me, who do you think I'm observing?"

"Not everything is fleeting. Some feelings are deep."