REVIEW: 'Portrait of a Lady on Fire' - a romantic masterpiece

“I've dreamt of that for years.”

“Dying?”

“Running.”

Do you ever find yourself staring at a bonfire? Just being entranced by its beauty as it slowly builds and builds and you can feel the heat and energy as it comes to its highest point. It starts small and quiet - the kindling being laid. Then comes a small spark. The fire slowly but surely consumes the kindling, then starts at the logs. By the end, the fire is huge and raging and captivating. This film is a fire of cinema. It starts slow and intentional, but by the end, it consumes all. That is the essence of Portrait of a Lady on Fire.

It has been nine months since Portrait of a Lady on Fire first appeared on a cinema screen at the Cannes festival in May of 2019. Portrait of a Lady on Fire received nothing but acclaim during its festival run all throughout 2019. After winning the best screenplay award and the queer palm at Cannes, it has enchanted and enthralled audiences all over the world. It’s a crime really that this hasn’t been made available sooner. I was lucky enough to catch a screening of it at the Vancouver International Film Festival in October, but it has remained tragically out of theatres since then. Finally - on Valentine’s Day 2020 - it has arrived in all of its glory.

Noémie Merlant (right) and Adèle Haenel (left)

Trust me, it’s just as good as everyone says it is. It’s a masterpiece. There, that’s the review. It’s hard to put into words just how powerful and moving it is. In fact, it should be experienced more than it should be written about, but I will give it a shot at least.

Set on a remote island in Brittany, France during the late 18th century, Portrait of a Lady on Fire follows the story of Marianne, played by Noémie Merlant, a painter who has been commissioned to secretly paint the wedding portrait of Héloïse, played by Adèle Haenel, a young woman who has refused thus far to sit for her portrait. Héloïse is to be married to a Milanese nobleman, but she doesn’t love him and is doing everything in her power to avoid the wedding. The two start cold to each other. Héloïse doesn’t like the woman her mother has hired to “take walks with her” meanwhile Marianne hates the practice of painting secretly from her memory of Héloïse and just wants to get done with her job. Slowly, but surely, the two fall in love in one of the most powerful and riveting romantic tales in recent memory.

Off the bat, the most obvious thing to note about Portrait is its incredibly slow pacing. Pace is critical in filmmaking. One of the most blatant problems to find in a lot of mainstream films is pace. Scenes drag out far too long, or an act takes far too long, or an action sequence happens too fast. Filmmakers, especially in contemporary times, try to keep their films moving quickly to engage the audience better. A lot of the films on this list are quickly paced. That’s not a bad thing. When you slow down a film too much, the audience gets bored. Rarely do I see a film that’s slowly paced keep me engaged. Portrait of a Lady on Fire is an exception to all of that.

The word best suited for the film is deliberate. It is so carefully plotted and paced where every scene is used perfectly to build up the film towards its inevitable climax. The pace also works wonders on the overall tone and mood of the piece as well. It has a subtly tense edge while being relentlessly lovely. It’s a bizarre mix that director Céline Sciamma and her team have captured wonderfully.

The pacing goes even further and gets into the acting, another thing that contributes to the mood of the film. Sciamma cares so much for the characters she has created. Each line is written and delivered with care and precision. The performances from the entire cast, but especially from Noémie Merlant and Adèle Haenel are a large part of why this thing works so well.

Not only is it impeccably paced and wonderfully acted, but Portrait is also one of the best and most beautifully shot films I have ever seen. Claire Mathon is a magician with her camera, capturing images that beautiful to look at, calming visually, yet never devoid of energy. Wonderful soft tones of colour flow out of every frame in a hypnotizing fashion. Just look at some of the shots put in this article. They’re flawless. It looks just like the paintings of the artistic romantic era in which the film is set. The film was shot in an 8K in order to retain this painted look, an effort that worked out great.

If you have some time this weekend or while it is still playing in theatres, be sure you don’t miss Portrait of a Lady on Fire. Films like this don’t come around a whole lot. If you need a date night movie this Valentine’s, or just want to watch something while you’re sad and alone, or maybe you just like movies, this is the one for you. It is certainly worth the theatre price as those images look just so much better on the big screen.

Portrait of a Lady on Fire is now playing in theatres.

Score: 5/5


Portrait of a Lady on Fire Quick Facts
Written and directed by Céline Sciamma
Starring Noémie Merlant and Adèle Haenel
Released February 14, 2020 [domestic theatrical]