Review of Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019) by Jordanlayton — 27 Apr 2020

Portrait of a Lady on Fire is a quiet, powerful French film about an artist hired to secretly paint a portrait of a high class woman for her betrothed. It is easily my favorite film of 2020 to date. (yes I'm counting it as a 2020 release even though it had a tiny release in December 2019 okay wow) This is a film that showcases the raw might and devastation embodied by forbidden love. I don't think I have been so moved by a romance in film since 2018's Call Me By Your Name. I feel that the amount of emotion this film is able to evoke results from fully drawn characters, patient, exacting performances, gorgeous lighting, and purposeful cinematography.

The way this script reveals its characters' personalities and histories is through the brief and extremely femininely coded interactions between each of them. So much is accomplished by the writing and performances in so little dialogue that both the characters and the audience are given quite an allowance of time to fully soak in the weight of each and every line. Shots will linger on each of the main characters as they act and react to each other in a way that achieves significant tension and suspense, especially for a film in the romance genre. That suspense is only heightened by how this film is lit and shot. Between the beautiful French cliff-side beach and the surprisingly warm castle home, the main locations this film takes place in provide ample opportunities for visually stunning shots, all of which were seized and all of which directly aligned with the script. Honestly, I was gushing for most of the movie over just how effectively the language of the camera was being used. It felt similar to Parasite in that way. With that review and comparison, I don't think my rating here should come as any shock. PoaLoF is on Hulu right now and it is definitely worth a watch.