Portrait of a Lady on Fire - Review
Director: Celine Sciamma
Celine Sciamma has proven herself as a formidable voice in arthouse cinema with the likes of Water Lilies and Tomboy, both films focusing on characters in the LGBTQ community. The writer-director continues to explore this marginalised group with her fourth feature, this time venturing to 1770 and submersing us in a luscious period setting.
Cast: Noemie Merlant, Adele Haenel
Celine Sciamma has proven herself as a formidable voice in arthouse cinema with the likes of Water Lilies and Tomboy, both films focusing on characters in the LGBTQ community. The writer-director continues to explore this marginalised group with her fourth feature, this time venturing to 1770 and submersing us in a luscious period setting.
In late 18th century France, painter Marianna (Merlant) is commissioned to paint the wedding portrait of resistant bride to be Heloise (Haenel). Over the course of their time together, the two engage in a forbidden affair that grows into a passionate love.
Sciamma delicately handles and frames the emotions of the piece's central characters, understanding that sentiments were expressed through charged glances and inferred gestures rather than through verbal means. Heloise views her impending marriage as an imminent threat to her freedom and, potentially life, as it is revealed that her sister, who was due the same fate of marriage as Heloise, was found dead at the bottom of a cliff. The possibility of suicide hangs in the air. There would be the temptation to to have all of this poured out in a melodramatic monologue but the tender and understated script allows subtext and the phenomenal performances given by Merlant and Haenel to convey meaning. However, when emotions are permitted to bubble to the surface, the dialogue really does count in some of cinema's finest scenes of the year; during one of their portrait sessions, Marianne and Heloise remark upon habits and tics that they have noticed in each other, highlighting that Marianne's observant position in their relationship has been mutual and reciprocated.
Subverting the traditional male gaze found in most love stories, Sciamma explores the notion of the female gaze and weaves it seamlessly into the narrative rather than lecturing it to the audience. Guising as a companion, Marianne spends her days as a voyeur of Heloise and painting her secretly at night. When Heloise discovers the duplicity, she decides to become a collaborator in her own portrait and their suppressed attraction comes to fore, but Sciamma always stresses the importance of love and intimacy over the act of sex.
Portrait of a Lady on Fire also makes the diminished prospects of women overt, but not overstated. Heloise is destined for marriage, and although Marianne is not wedded to the same fate, she still faces limitations, confessing that women artists cannot paint male subjects in order to "prevent us from making great art". The restrictions placed on women is juxtaposed beautifully with the unrestrained landscape of the isolated island, with waves crashing against the rocks in an uncontrollable fashion. However, the women are given a glimpse of what complete freedom and agency is like when Heloise's mother leaves for Italy for a few days. They have fun and let loose, venturing out to join the festivities with other local women, playing games and even getting high.
Subverting the traditional male gaze found in most love stories, Sciamma explores the notion of the female gaze and weaves it seamlessly into the narrative rather than lecturing it to the audience. Guising as a companion, Marianne spends her days as a voyeur of Heloise and painting her secretly at night. When Heloise discovers the duplicity, she decides to become a collaborator in her own portrait and their suppressed attraction comes to fore, but Sciamma always stresses the importance of love and intimacy over the act of sex.
Portrait of a Lady on Fire also makes the diminished prospects of women overt, but not overstated. Heloise is destined for marriage, and although Marianne is not wedded to the same fate, she still faces limitations, confessing that women artists cannot paint male subjects in order to "prevent us from making great art". The restrictions placed on women is juxtaposed beautifully with the unrestrained landscape of the isolated island, with waves crashing against the rocks in an uncontrollable fashion. However, the women are given a glimpse of what complete freedom and agency is like when Heloise's mother leaves for Italy for a few days. They have fun and let loose, venturing out to join the festivities with other local women, playing games and even getting high.
A gorgeously sensual and soulful depiction of love in its most sacred form, Sciamma's Portrait of a Lady on Fire is a powerful and unforgettable romance that serves to remind us of the true magic and purpose of cinema.
EB
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