Portrait of a Lady on Fire

Name: Portrait of a Lady on Fire
Genre: Drama, History, Romance
Released: December 6, 2019
Duration: 122 min
Rating: 95
Cast: Adele Haenel, Armande Boulanger, Cécile Morel, Christel Baras, Clément Bouyssou

2019

METASCORE

Universal acclaim based on 48 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Universal acclaim based on 361 Ratings

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8.5

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8.5	User Score Universal acclaim based on 361 Ratings

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Portrait Of A Lady On Fire

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Movie Details & Credits

Alamode Film | Release Date: December 6, 2019 | R

Starring: Adele Haenel, Armande Boulanger, Cécile Morel, Christel Baras, Clément Bouyssou, Guy Delamarche, Luàna Bajrami, Michèle Clément, Noémie Merlant, Valeria Golino

Summary: France, 1760. Marianne is commissioned to paint the wedding portrait of Héloïse, a young woman who has just left the convent. Because she is a reluctant bride-to-be, Marianne arrives under the guise of companionship, observing Héloïse by day and secretly painting her by firelight at night. As the two women orbit one another, intimacy andFrance, 1760. Marianne is commissioned to paint the wedding portrait of Héloïse, a young woman who has just left the convent. Because she is a reluctant bride-to-be, Marianne arrives under the guise of companionship, observing Héloïse by day and secretly painting her by firelight at night. As the two women orbit one another, intimacy and attraction grow as they share Héloïse’s first moments of freedom. Héloïse's portrait soon becomes a collaborative act of and testament to their love. … Expand

Director: Céline Sciamma

Genre(s): Drama, History, Romance

Rating: R

Runtime: 122 min

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Critic Reviews

100

Richard Brody

Aug 4, 2020

The movie dramatizes the constraints of the era, the imposition of a narrow and religion-based morality, the stern discipline that’s internalized as a result, the elision of women and their world from public life, and the firm expectations of family and society that Héloïse will endure in her unwanted marriage. Yet it does more than merely depict them—it embodies them, in the characters’ poised stillness, which makes the airy surroundings feel as rigid as stone. Read full review

100

Justin Chang

Dec 5, 2019

It’s the rare movie that can take something as ancient as myth and use it to break your heart anew. Read full review

100

Leslie Felperin

May 19, 2019

Assaying [Sciamma's] first period film, an exquisitely executed love story that's both formally adventurous and emotionally devastating, she sticks the landing like a UCLA gymnast in peak condition. It's so good you'll want to watch again in slow-motion immediately afterwards just to see how she does it. Read full review

100

Bilge Ebiri

Feb 12, 2020

Portrait of a Lady on Fire builds and builds and builds, as we keep waiting for an explosion, a big emotional climax. And, not unlike with another great recent import, Pedro Almodóvar’s "Pain and Glory," it arrives with the very last shot — which I won’t reveal other than to say it’s one of the finest pieces of acting and one of the most moving images I’ve seen in eons. Read full review

Joshua Rivera

Feb 17, 2020

The conversations in Portrait of a Lady on Fire are among the most memorable people have had on a screen in some time, with each line a stanza in a poem, a reversal, a shift in perspective. With every exchange, the relationship between Marianne and Héloïse changes subtly. Read full review

Marjorie Baumgarten

Feb 19, 2020

What the film excels at, however, is the anticipatory desire. It builds slowly, concluding with a stunning sequence that is all breathless remembrance and self-satisfaction that is both wordless and impalpable. The film will seem the height of romantic desire to some, but will be a slow burn for others. Read full review

Christopher Gray

Sep 5, 2019

What's most stirring about Céline Sciamma's film is the lack of artifice in Héloïse and Marianne's feelings for one another. Read full review

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User Reviews

uglyworldwide

Dec 7, 2019

this is nothing but pure art. every scene feels like they just cut from a novel.

9 of 14 users found this helpful95

Ellie2306

Aug 4, 2020

It's a masterpiece. I have nothing to say about it. It's like a pure picture with full of emotion. Perfect!!!

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

RayJackson

Oct 12, 2021

Portrait of a Lady on Fire is a profoundly passionate film that closely focuses on the relationship between a painter and the woman whose portrait she is commissioned to paint. Set in the late 18th century on an isolated island in Brittany, France, this film is a subtle showcase that isPortrait of a Lady on Fire is a profoundly passionate film that closely focuses on the relationship between a painter and the woman whose portrait she is commissioned to paint. Set in the late 18th century on an isolated island in Brittany, France, this film is a subtle showcase that is intimate and exquisite, emphasised both by music made all the more impactful due to its relative absence in the movie, and by the delicate, gorgeous cinematography reminiscent of a painting. An absolute masterpiece.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

The18thBrumaire

Dec 30, 2019

Exquisite filmmaking from one of the best up and coming French directors of the decade. Beautiful, captivating and engrossing, capped off with some of the best individual performances of the year.

3 of 6 users found this helpful33

AJ_13

Jun 27, 2022

Unlike anything I've seen before. The "glance game" is masterful, Claire Mathon's cinematography is hipnotic and both leads performances are flawless. Genius filmmaking by Céline Sciamma.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

keanex

Feb 26, 2020

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I felt that the story of this movie was very expected, but the trajectory, emotion, and choice of words separated this from being a good movie, to a great one. It's a slow film of forbidden love, two women who know each other briefly for a period of time, but become floored by each other with an intense connection that they both will carry with them forever. Until the ending sequence I felt the movie was a 7.5, pushing an 8, but the last 15-30 minutes pushed it to an easy 9 for me. Very emotional and very very very well acted. The cinematography also needs to be praised, absolutely phenomenal. This was quite a movie.… Expand

2 of 2 users found this helpful20

BradFeet

May 22, 2020

It's boring. Depressing. Just skip to the nude scenes and love scenes. it's not worth your almost 2 hours.

1 of 13 users found this helpful112

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