Sunday, November 29, 2020

Portrait of a Lady on Fire - A Work of Art

 Director: Céline Sciamma (French, White, Woman, Lesbian)













Hold on while I gather my tears for a moment as that is where I have been left after watching this movie.

This review will probably be rather brief in order to not be spoiler-y, but I will begin by saying that it was utterly beautiful.

Visually Speaking

The camera shots appeared carefully picked - each frame seemed delicate and poised just so, no angle was wasted or blasé. The dialogue simple and pointed, almost like a poem. There was no room for excess throughout the film. 

I found myself holding my breath so often, in awe of the starkness of the rooms, the vividness of the colors, the tension. 

Of course, we have to mention the paintings, which were themselves, incredible. The painter Hélène Delmaire did a stunning job - and it was her hands which were present whenever the character Marianne moved to work on each piece. It is through her work that we can quite literally see the development of Marianne's feelings - her piece starts out cold and "correct", and by the end it carries Héloïse's likeness and her inner storm. 

The Actresses



Noémie Merlant and Adèle Haenel are masterful throughout the film. Their connection is electric, from the very first moment as Adèle hurls herself towards a cliff to the first time their hands touch. They have a constant magnetism that is positively mesmerizing. 

I find myself utterly drawn in by Adèle Haenel - the way she portrays her sorrows, her ecstatic joys, even her nervousness is so exquisite. I found myself wishing that more actresses could learn to capture subtlety in the way she tells a whole story on her face. The final scene of the movie - which I don't wish to spoil - does focus in on her face for a solid minute and it is absolutely the thing that brought me to tears at the end. Magnificent. 

I also want to point out Luàna Bajrami as Sophie, who was a sleeper cell star. I wasn't expecting to love her as much as I did by the end of the film, but she got me. 

It should also be mentioned that there are barely any men present throughout the film (bonus points!).

Themes

For anyone who has only heard the briefest thing about this film (until of course, you read the prior paragraphs) - you know that this film is GAY. And oh boy, it is VERY GAY.

But it's also a wonderful example of what happens when you remove the male gaze from a film. The love scenes are romantic - not voyeuristic. The moments which have the most emotional impact are not the ones you might expect in a romance movie - a slight touch, a joyful look, reading from a book, playing the harpsichord, playing cards. 

Beyond the (gorgeous) romance between the two lady leads, there's also an underlying theme of women's freedom in a 1770 society. A particularly impactful moment for me was towards the middle of the film, where SPOILER Sophie decides to have an abortion. I couldn't think of a movie where I watched an abortion being performed, no less an abortion in a period film. It was unbelievably powerful to see this woman make this choice, and there was no preamble or post speech about how she regretted it or wasn't sure. She knew from the beginning, she did the procedure, and it sucked, but it was then over. It took my breath away. More of this please.

The Music Moments

There are a few "music moments" throughout the movie, but there is one in particular that took me entirely off guard but I was completely into it. The women of the town gathered together at a bonfire and began to sing - at first entirely atonally in an almost choral rendition of the dolby digital start up sound, which turned into a wave of rhythmic pulses and chords in a joyous eruption. I am rather certain that I witnessed witchcraft on film, and it was every bit as magnificent as I thought it could be. This scene alone could have convinced me to watch the whole thing. 

One more music moment - this movie managed to avoid the terrible trope of "non-professional musician for some reason is a perfect pianist". There is a rather lovely moment where Marianne is playing a little snippet of her favorite piece (you'll recognize it) but it's not perfect by any means. She's not overly frustrated by this issue - she gets a little flustered later when she can't remember a part - but her playing ability isn't overdone. I was cheering in my seat.

Final Thoughts

Out of every movie I have reviewed thusfar, this one belongs on the "masterwork" list more than any other. It is absolutely a work of art.