85. Portrait Of A Lady On Fire (Portrait de la jeune fille en feu); movie review

PORTRAIT OF A LADY ON FIRE (PORTRAIT DE LA JEUNE FILLE EN FEU)
Cert 15
122 mins
BBFC advice: Contains sexualised nudity

Sometimes, I regret that I don't have the vision to appreciate visual art as much as many others do.
Consequently, I don't visit galleries because, dare I say, I find them dull.
After watching Portrait Of A Lady On Fire, I mused with Mrs W that my linear thinking may be down to nurture. My parents held much stock on me being able to read and count from a very early age.
I was brought up with flashcards at just two but was never taught to draw and there was no encouragement for out-of-the-box thinking.
I developed the latter to an extent during my career but have always struggled to visualise what I can't already see. For example, conjuring page designs was the weakest aspect of my newspaper editorship.
This may explain why I didn't see Céline Sciamma's film through the same prism has many reviewers who have been effusive in their compliments.
Of course, I recognise that it looks good.
Its late 18th-century period backdrop is only part of the reason. Its cast are attractive and alluring too.
The movie stars Noémie Merlant as a painter who is commissioned by a countess to paint the wedding portrait of her naive but headstrong daughter (Adèle Haenel), in the hope that it will impress her potential Milanese husband.
However, her subject doesn't know the real reason for her visit and is told that she is merely a walking companion. Consequently, the portrait has to be completed in secret.
Initially, the two young women have a frosty relationship but very gradually grow closer and attraction begins to develop.
Clearly, a permanent liaison between the two can never be, so when the moment of intimacy arrives, we know heartbreak is around the corner.
The major problem for me is that it takes so long to get where it is going.
Looks of resentment become furtive and scowls become smiles but not much more happens in the first hour or so.
Call me impatient but I like to be engaged with a story from earlier than that. Thereafter, there are brief moments of intensity but it doesn't stir as much as it might.
In short, I did persevere but my reward was not as rich as I had expected.

Reasons to watch: Simmering romance
Reasons to avoid: Not enough action

Laughs: None
Jumps: None
Vomit: Yes
Nudity: Yes
Overall rating: 6/10

Did you know? Although same-sex sexual activity was a capital crime which often resulted in the death penalty during the Ancien Regime, laws relating to it were repealed in 1791 during the French Revolution.

The final word. Céline Sciamma: “We want people to have their heartbroken and think about themselves, but enjoy this experience of this strong love story. But it’s also about the memory of a love story." IndieWire

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