Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019)

Portrait of a Lady on Fire

• Radiant. If I could choose one word to describe this film, it’s radiant. A bit tragic and emotionally draining, but nonetheless radiant. My mind is still swamped with thoughts so I may keep this review a bit short. My biggest takeaway is simply how radiant it is. I love throwing that word around. The whole film is such a beautiful demonstration of womanhood and love, especially in the time period when this takes place. Of course, I’m not a woman so I obviously can’t speak on behalf of women, nor relate to the mind of a woman. But of every film I’ve ever watched, this one portrays women in a way that I’ve never seen. I honestly can’t even explain what I mean by that. I could just feel the power of the two leads blasting through the screen, and I soaked up every bit of energy they gave off. The entire screenplay is completely built around them, even when they aren’t necessarily front and center (though most of the time, they are). It takes a very dialogue driven approach, as well as the story being tied into the visuals. It’s one of the best screenplays of the 21st century. Everything flows together so beautifully, all the dialogue is simple but delivers so much emotion, and the stoic yet passionate movement from each character helps build tension while still easing your mind. So gorgeously written. The cast, while minimal, is also entirely fantastic in every sense. Noémie Merlant and Adèle Haenel deliver generational performances that will leave you both empty and fulfilled. They both project so much feeling, with most of their emotion shown simply by the way they look and talk to each other (obviously). It’s gonna be quite a bit before I shake those two from my head. They’re just so tender and careful, while still beaming with power and stability. Well, maybe stability isn’t the right word. Strength is a better word. Visually, this is certainly one of the most memorable films I’ve seen in years. On one end, it’s nothing overdone. It’s very natural and doesn’t try to do too much. On the other end, it’s insanely gorgeous because of how authentic everything feels. When I say everything, I mean EVERYTHING. I absolutely loved the focus on the character’s faces and small mannerisms that define who they are. My last thought (and you will VERY rarely hear me say this) is how the absence of a score was genius. I’m usually a believer in “the music makes the movie”, but in this instance, no score does more. It completely grounds you into the environment and ongoing emotion. Again, this is an extremely rare case where I will support no music. Overall, this is such a wonderful but very mentally draining film that showcases queer love between two women. Easily one of the best women centered queer films I’ve seen, and I don’t think there’s anyone who would disagree. I guess this review wasn’t that short after all haha. I would recommend this to all romance/drama fans. This film is officially Berry Approved, so go check it out now!