Portrait of a Lady on Fire

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All I can say about this movie is that it is beautiful. From the cinematography to the soundtrack to the acting everything about the movie is perfectly executed creating an emotionally connected experience for the viewer. If you have not yet seen this movie I recommend that you put it at the top of your to watch list because it's what I believe to be one of the best movies of 2019

I rented this because I was drawn to the picture of the girl in an old fashioned dress on fire. Then I saw all the reviews with 8-10 ratings on IMDB. So I rented it. I was bored to death & can't figure the high ratings. I do not enjoy action flicks & period dramas are my favorite genre. I thought I'd like this. I was wrong. A woman hires an artist to paint a portrait of her daughter who is about to be married. It's an arranged marriage & the portrait is to be sent to the guy to give him an idea what his future wife looks like. Her daughter isn't happy about marrying a stranger & living in a country she's never been to. She rebels by refusing to sit for the portrait. The artist is paid to go on walks with her daughter to discretely learn enough of her features to get a painting done. Mother tells her daughter she's arranged a female companion for her to go out on walks with. She is delighted & falls for it, hook, line, & sinker. The whole movie is about her walks with the portrait painter. That's all. Just their strolls on the beach & long talks where nothing happens or is said worth mentioning. The only thing I liked about this movie was the old fashioned dresses. There's nothing else to say. I would skip this one. I will never watch it again.

I really liked this film visually in terms of the scenery and the way the characters were posed in the scenes. But I was not convinced by the relationship of the main characters. I was always conscious that they were actors playing roles and I think it was the way they were placed on set to make appealing images that contributed to this. Somehow the beauty of the imagery reduced the plausibility of the action as it was too staged to seem genuine. It was like looking at carefully arranged photographs rather than watching a movie.

I've dreamt of that for years. Dying? Running. _____________________________ And so begins our introduction to the titular character and her nascent growth into being--a growth beyond the canvas, beyond the parameters of physical isolation, beyond the inescapable predicament of social and family burden. It is a taste of freedom. The beginnings of a liberating journey to find an existential peace from the inner turmoil that, as we learn early on in the film, likely took her own sister's life. Céline Sciamma's Portrait de La Jeune Fille en Feu is a remarkable film. It is Call Me By Your Name in its judgement-free paradise, palpable sexual tension, and look-into-the-flame Élio catharsis. It is The Favourite in its female-centric, lesbian-tensioned period drama with Vivaldi as a centerpiece (but with a mood far more romanced than Yorgos' unique lavish satirical darkness). It is Persona in its framing of duality and Abbas Kiarostami in its lunar pacing. It is unapologetically feminist: a love story between two souls who happen to be women on an island free of men, including but not limited to an abortion, the subsequent painting of said abortion, and the gentle caressing of armpit hair at center screen. While not entirely its own, the film is nonetheless brilliant in almost every regard. Cinematography, including framing, color palette, and the dream-like landscape, is stunning. There is a visual language of unspoken glances and facial beauty through close-ups and lighting that parallels the script and brings out the mystique of the enigmatic Héloïse. The story is unveiled so poetically, as if watching the long-restrained passion of the female artist slowly burst from the seams of her oppressive corset of objectification. '"The "muse" is this fetishized silent woman who is inspiring just because she is beautiful. One of the manifestos of the film is to get rid of this idea of the muse-which is a nice word that actually hides the participation of women in artistry." Céline Sciamma, Writer/Director The nine muses of the Greek Mythology were deities that gave artists, philosophers and individuals the necessary inspiration for creation. One of the nine muses, Calliope, had a son named Orpheus... Sciamma's thought-provoking commentary on women and art is gently told but powerfully received, and it does not go unnoticed. This film, like a majestic portrait, will remain echoing in your mind like the haunting hymnal Latin chant, "Fugere non possum": I cannot run away.

I cannot recall the last time I watched a film that had me utterly mesmerised from the very start to the very end without a single interruption. Everything about this film is so lovingly crafted, from the nuanced and commanding central performances to the cinematography and subtly woven storyline - they all combine to produce a genuine piece of cinematic art. The lighting and palette drew inspiration from 18th century paintings, there are scenes in this film that will stay with me fore some time... and the slowly building inevitable climax to the story is heart achingly gratifying. An utterly original and beautiful instant classic that somehow didn't capture the attention of the Oscars Academy!

I'm by no means a film critic, but I thought a review coming from my perspective might be helpful. I watched two movies this weekend: Godzilla vs Kong, and Portrait of a Lady on Fire. Godzilla was fun. I thought seeing giant monsters fight in Hong Kong was very entertaining. The plot and characters were a distraction from the action I was looking for. I watched it, thought, "hell yeah," and moved on. This movie was an entirely different experience. I was enthralled in these characters. The cinematography spoke just as much as the dialogue did. The actors spoke as much with their silence as with their words. I was crying at the end, and expect this movie to leave an impression. This is art, just like the paintings of the film itself. Cannot recommend enough. Godzilla was brainless entertainment, this was a moving experience to be a part of. No matter what movies you usually like, do yourself a favor and watch this.

I haven't written a review in a while because frankly there haven't been too many great movies in recent years to warrant any. But then I watched Portrait de la jeune fille en feu, and found it so revelatory and refreshing that I thought I would add my dollop of daisy to the ocean of praise this film has rightfully been getting. The film is about a love affair between a painter and her subject, both women, and in a sense it is as simple as that. There is a backdrop of male dominance overhanging the period in which the story is set - the film contains few men, and when they are seen, they appear as benevolent figures. But repression pervades each scene - the subject of the painting is an aristocratic woman who is on her way to be married, and yet she isn't thrilled at the prospect and she might not have a choice in the matter. The painter, a young woman, at the end of the film displays her work under the name of her father, unable to present her work under her own name. So the specter of control is injected throughout, although this theme is only hinted at. This subtle touch gives the film an essential underpinning to what is otherwise a beautiful love story. Some thoughts about the film-making. First: what a beautiful thing to behold. Such refined artistry is a rarity in the days of quick-consumption digital, and it goes to show how the technicians that work behind the camera are as important as what is happening on screen. Each frame is a thing of aesthetic delight, of color coordination, of subtle lighting and design elements all married into a whole. The fact that it was shot in digital rather than a traditional film look for a period piece somehow heightens and modernizes the proceedings in a way that made its most visual moments feel fresh and completely new. Second, the respect for the audience, to not settle for petty narrative cliches when there were so many opportunities in this story to resort to them. It is one of these very pure and true stories, told with love and respect for the characters as well as those watching them breathe, yet we keep waiting for a moment of emotional violence between the main players, which doesn't occur. When I became aware of how delicate this story was as it unfolded to its end, I was moved to my core. This is a revolutionary and passionate film on many levels, and I believe those who have seen it can only attest to that. It kind of defies criticism beyond that fact.

So, 8.3 pretty impressive score, must be a great movie. WRONG. I can't believe people eat this garbage up. I mean if you ever drawn or painted anything, you will laugh out loud on every painting scene, and apart from that there's only walking on the beach, walking on stairs or doing nothing basically. It's a nonsensical, unbelievable story, with forgettable dialogue and performances. It is shot nicely, but that is far from enough to make this work. I get it that using no music makes the 2 times when there's music really emotional, but if it's done in such a noticable fashion, it just doesn't work. I am not mad for wasting 2 hours of my life on this, it was watchable. But it is not good, not even okay. It's the kind of movie I would never rewatch or recommend to anyone I care about. Just spare yourself.