Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019) Movie Review

『An Unforgettable Love and Portrait of Memory in Silence』

🎥 Movie Overview

🎬 Title: Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019)
🌍 Country: 🇫🇷 France
🎞️ Genre: Romance / Drama / Queer
🗓️ Production & Distribution: Lilies Films, Arte France Cinéma
⏳ Running Time: 120 minutes
📢 Director: Céline Sciamma
🖋️ Screenplay: Céline Sciamma
📺 Platforms: Theatrical release / DVD·VOD

👩‍💼 Cast: Noémie Merlant – Marianne
Adèle Haenel – Héloïse
Luàna Bajrami – Sophie

🧩 In-Depth Story Exploration (Spoilers)

🎨 Secret Portraits: Observation and Trust Begin

At the end of the 18th century, Héloïse, a noblewoman about to marry, refuses the arranged marriage and declines to have her portrait painted. Marianne approaches her as a ‘companion for walks’ in order to secretly paint her portrait. Every day, Marianne walks along the beach with Héloïse, memorizing details such as her expressions, gait, and ear shape, then paints alone at night. Feeling guilty, Marianne eventually reveals that she is an artist and shows Héloïse the painting. However, Héloïse critiques the portrait, saying it “does not capture her true self” and lacks a soul.

🕯️ Confronting Emotions and the Secret Bond

Surprisingly, Héloïse defends Marianne and declares that she will pose voluntarily. The lady orders Marianne to complete a new portrait within five days and leaves briefly for mainland Italy. With her absence, the mansion becomes a space liberated from class and rules, occupied only by women.

🔥 Equal Relationships and the Beginning of Love

Under the absent mother, Marianne, Héloïse, and the maid Sophie form a sisterhood beyond class, spending equal time together. Héloïse cooks, Sophie embroiders, and Marianne pours wine. The three read the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice and discuss the meaning of Orpheus looking back. Héloïse interprets that Eurydice must have guided Orpheus to look back to accept her fate (returning to the underworld), foreshadowing their eventual parting. As they spend time together, their love gradually grows.

📖 Parting and the Gift of Farewell

When the portrait is completed and the lady is about to return, they prepare to part. To forever remember each other, Marianne paints a self-portrait on page 28 of Héloïse’s book, and Héloïse instructs her to look back, memorizing Marianne’s final image.

🎭 Memories That Forever Burn: Two Reunions

Years later, Marianne sees Héloïse twice. First, at an art exhibition, where Héloïse discreetly reveals the corner of page 28 of the book on the painted portrait. Second, at a concert hall, Marianne secretly watches Héloïse listening to Vivaldi’s 'Summer,' 3rd Movement. Héloïse bursts into tears, expressing intense emotions, and this final gaze concludes the film.

🦋 Emotional Resonance and Significance

🎥 The Female Gaze

This film is regarded as a declaration of 'Female Gaze', where a female director (Céline Sciamma) tells a female story through a female perspective. Marianne’s act of observing Héloïse begins from the male gaze that objectifies the subject, but soon Héloïse reciprocates the gaze, exchanging the roles of observer and observed, evolving into a mutual and equal gaze of love.

🖼️ Art, Memory, and Love

The portrait is not merely a 'commodity' for marriage but becomes a medium to eternally record the love and memory of the two women. In the final scene, Héloïse’s intense reaction to Vivaldi’s music demonstrates that even though their physical relationship has ended, art preserves and replays their bond forever.

🌍 Liberation and Solidarity

The film portrays a women-only space with almost no male characters, where class boundaries among nobility, painter, and maid dissolve, highlighting women’s solidarity. The subplot where the three women assist the maid Sophie with an abortion underscores the painful realities of 18th-century women and their autonomous decision-making.

🎬 Director and Actors’ Real-Life Connection

Director Céline Sciamma and Adèle Haenel were once in a romantic relationship. Their deep understanding and trust contributed significantly to the actors’ delicate performances and natural chemistry, enhancing the film’s authentic emotional expression and realism.

🎯 Personal Rating

💕 Love Scene Intensity: ♥♥♥♥
⭐ Rating: ★★★★★