Review of Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019) by Chrismizerak — 05 Jun 2020

For better and for worse, “Portrait of a Lady on Fire” is unquestionably an art film in every sense of the word. Its narrative literally centers around a portrait painter, which by default means artist, and its filmmaking aesthetic is highly artsy and experimental.

It should be a surprise to no one that the first thing a film of this ilk would emphasize focus on would be its cinematography, its filmmaking art if you will. And with its strong emphasis on bright and clashing color through the outdoor camera work or the dresses our leading ladies wear, it more than fulfills its goal on that end.

“Portrait of a Lady on Fire” definitely has a slower pace to its storytelling than some filmgoers will usually be accustomed to. In a way, a film connoisseur such as myself can detect a Terrence Malick type of vibe to its filmmaking style.

More of an emphasis is put on the visual moving scenery and art over the central story at its core. If you think about it, that was also true of “Days of Heaven” and “The Thin Red Line”, two of Malick’s most notable works.

But then again, this picture was brought to us courtesy of France. So its artsy-fartsy nature arguably comes with the territory. In case you could not figure it out, “Portrait of a Lady on Fire” is a foreign language film.

So if you need English subtitles to understand what the characters say like I do, you have access to that at least. But thankfully, the story being told is simple enough to follow that you probably will not have too much trouble keeping up with it.

Our principle portrait painter Marianne, played by Noemie Merlant, enters a forbidden romance with aristocratic Heloise, played by Adele Haenel, who is set to be engaged to an Italian gentlemen by the insistence of her mother, played by Valeria Golino.

The narrative is so simple in fact that the film could have possibly been paced faster to get a couple of us past some very slow patches where not much is happening at all. Maybe it is meant to be more relaxed and laidback, but then again maybe it is not.

Either way, the film’s style of pacing and minimalistic story is not going to be for everyone. However, judging by what is on display here, the performances of our central leads carries us through. Merlant and Haenel obviously devote a sharp focus and passion towards making Marianne and Heloise eventually become a tender and intimate couple.

The second half is no doubt more interesting than the first half, with much more plot unfolding, catchy music being present in the background, and more of the electrifying romance at its center to keep us watching the screen.

The first half was definitely a bit awkward and creaky like it needed much more going on in both the background and foreground. This pacing issue was not present at all with the likes of “Parasite”, which even in the slower moments was building up characters and personalities with whatever unconventional story turns would unfold later on.

In comparison to a film as surprisingly exciting as “Parasite” was, “Portrait of a Lady on Fire” is something of a missed opportunity. What is desperately missing from this picture is a sense of meaning and urgency that is somewhat essential for a story about a forbidden romance.

To be fair, not many LGBT romances in film end the way that this film does. So in the end, I do give this picture a marginal recommendation for avoiding common plot tropes unfortunately associated with LGBT romances alongside its gifted lead performances and colorful imagery.