In 18th-century France young painter Marianne, is commissioned to do the wedding portrait of Héloïse without her knowing. Therefore, Marianne must observe her model by day to paint her portrait at night. Day by day, the two women become closer as they share Héloïse's last moments of freedom before the impending wedding.... (Full plot summary below)
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In 18th-century France young painter Marianne, is commissioned to do the wedding portrait of Héloïse without her knowing. Therefore, Marianne must observe her model by day to paint her portrait at night. Day by day, the two women become closer as they share Héloïse's last moments of freedom before the impending wedding.
Leave your thoughts about Portrait of a Lady on Fire.
| IndieWireDavid EhrlichRazor-sharp and shatteringly romantic ... as perfect a film as any to have premiered this year. |
| Chicago TribuneMichael PhillipsNot much music finds its way on the soundtrack, but what’s there is crucial. Vivaldi’s “Violin Concerto in G Minor," heard twice and strategically, ends up crystallizing the love story in ways we don’t see coming. |
| VoxEmily Todd VanDerWerffWhat makes the French masterpiece Portrait of a Lady on Fire — one of my favorite movies ever made, and the perfect Valentine’s Day date movie — so good is that it’s both a great romance and a great love story. The two bleed into each other so skillfully that you’ll almost miss where the romance begins and the love story ends. |
| New York Magazine (Vulture)Bilge EbiriPortrait 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. |
| Arizona RepublicBarbara VanDenburghIt’s a film that gets brilliantly to the truth of how and why we fall in love, and replicates that sensation — and the heartache that follows. |
| San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalleThere are many great acting moments in this film, but you should especially savor the final shot, the long close-up of Haenel in profile. Put simply, it’s why we go to the movies. |
| Boston GlobeTy BurrCéline Sciamma’s extraordinary fourth feature and a movie of body, heart, and mind. |
| LarsenOnFilmJosh LarsenHaenel, who also appeared in Sciamma’s debut film, Water Lilies, is mesmerizing, conjuring a full person using little more than stillness and a direct stare. |
| Wall Street JournalJoe MorgensternThe prime mover is sexual tension, which grows inexorably as the women learn the contours of each other’s lives. Portrait of a Lady on Fire — the fire is figurative, but also real — goes beyond painterly beauty. It sees into souls. |
| EmpireSophie Monks KaufmanThere are theme-park rides; there is cinema; there are sacred love poems to take with you for the rest of your life. Thank you for giving us the last one, Céline Sciamma. |
