Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019)
I slowly came to like this around the halfway mark. Was lukewarm at best for the first hour, but once the romance really started flowing I was on as well. A slowly built romance like this is all about the chemistry between the two people in focus and Merlant and Haenel both give an absolutely flawless performance. Very convincing use of body language, demeanor and looks. There is an interesting theme on discovering each other through painting and being forced to really look at one another, face how other people see you and whether you are true to your own feelings. Poetically conveyed through this little “vacation” these two, or three actually, have together when they have the house for themselves.
I was however not as impressed by the cinematography as many other seem to be. It is good, especially by the ocean, but not amazingly so. But I am also still high from the cinematography in Godland. There was also moments where this film almost became a parody of French artsy films, and I had a few qualms with some of the abrupt editing choices that weakened the flow a bit. On another note, it was clear this was directed by a female director. The entire movie we see stunningly beautiful women on screen, but even in the sensual scenes it doesn’t have the usual “male gaze” vibe. Their feminine features were given room to stand on its own. Which is too rare a thing to see in most movies.
Rating: 4