Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019)

IMDb plot summary: On an isolated island in Brittany at the end of the eighteenth century, a female painter is obliged to paint a wedding portrait of a young woman.

Directed by Céline Sciamma. Starring Noémie Merlant, Adèle Haenal, and Luàna Bajrami.

Portrait of a Lady on Fire tells the story of a female painter in 1770s France who is commissioned to paint a wealthy woman. Her subject, however, does not want to be painted, as it is to be a wedding portrait for her marriage, which she opposes, so the painter is asked to pose as her companion and observe her covertly to complete the painting. I was a huge fan of Celine Sciamma’s film Tomboy, and how immediately likable and relatable those characters were. I feel the same way about this one. Even with so much subtext obscured beneath propriety and reserve in the first half of the film, the characters pop, and watching their relationship grow becomes both heartwarming and thrilling. The slow burn here is perfectly paced, and I was with these characters every second of the way. I love how much it explores the idea of *looking* -- as an artist, as a lover, as someone jealous of a freedom they'll never have. The camera plays with this even more than the script does, and it all comes together. This is definitely one that I think is going to stick with me for awhile, and I'm absolutely looking up our two lead actresses in everything else they've been in, because they were so charismatic here.

How it entered my Flickchart:

Portrait of a Lady on Fire > For Pete's Sake

Portrait of a Lady on Fire > Safe

Portrait of a Lady on Fire < The People Under the Stairs

Portrait of a Lady on Fire > Onward

Portrait of a Lady on Fire > The Fabelmans

Portrait of a Lady on Fire > Romy and Michele's High School Reunion

Portrait of a Lady on Fire < 56 Up

Portrait of a Lady on Fire > It's Christmastime Again, Charlie Brown

Portrait of a Lady on Fire < Edge of Tomorrow

Portrait of a Lady on Fire > Weird: The Al Yankovic Story

Portrait of a Lady on Fire > Ex Machina

Final spot: #539 out of 3993, or 87%.