Portrait of a Lady on Fire

Since the release of a Portrait of a Lady on Fire a lot of discussion has been generated about the differences between the male and female gaze. Portrait of a Lady on Fire is directed by Celine Sciamma who is female and also a lesbian. What this does is give the film an entirely different feel and gaze to the likes of Blue is the Warmest Colour and The Handmaiden, both of which were directed by men. Even having not seen Blue is the Warmest Colour I know it’s quite famous (or infamous) for a very long sex scene whilst The Handmaiden was more graphic than your usual period drama.

Whilst The Handmaiden wasn’t lacking in intimacy, it certainly does not have the same intimacy of Celine Sciamma’s Portrait of a Lady on Fire. Celine Sciamma is able to draw up on her own experiences and place the emphasis away from so called ‘male voyeurism’ and focus more on sly glances and consensual looks where the passion and love radiates from the screen. Compared to these two films Portrait of a Lady on Fire isn’t a sexually graphic film (the French supposedly think it isn’t ‘erotic’ enough) in the way Blue is the Warmest Colour and The Handmaiden was but the way the film captures the longing glances and the intimacy between the two central characters radiates an erotic, sexually charged energy.

The film is told in two different time periods, the prologue sees Marianne (Noemie Merlant) teaching art to a modest sized class. She notices that a painting has been brought out by a student and upon drawing attention to it gets quizzed about the painting. This painting stirs up memories of the past and Marianne begins the tale where, a decade or so back, she was commissioned to paint a portrait of a woman named Heloise (Adele Haenel) who was due to be wed to a man she hasn’t met. This had to be done in secret as the portrait, upon its completion, will be inspected by her potential husband and Heloise refuses to be married under such circumstances. However, as the pair get closer and spend more time together, they begin to realise their mutual attraction.

The fact that it is directed by a woman (and a lesbian) opens the film up to an entirely different vision (this female vision also makes the abortion scene so powerful). It helps that the film is clearly in love with lead actress Adele Haenel and those incredibly expressive blue eyes as the camera examines every part of her like an artist examining their subject (the first shot of Heloise is the back of her head). What also helps is the enchanting and intoxicating chemistry between the leading stars, Adele Haenel and Noemie Merlant. The pair exchange those, at first, subtle glances that captures the essence of a forbidden romance. Haenel is superb and the camera loves her, whilst Merlant captures Marianne’s dilemma of knowing that completing the picture means never getting to see Heloise again. The pair both wrestle with the prospect that his romance is only fleeting.

Portrait of a Lady on Fire is about many things, the female gaze, objectification of women and female relationships but, for me its also about how art can play a strong role in bringing about vivid memories of your past, whether it’s a positive or negative memory. Be it a film, TV show, book, piece of music or painting there’s always that piece of art that whenever you see it, hear it, view it or read it, it brings an emotional reaction as you associate that piece of art with that moment in your life. The film’s final shot is a clear example of the power of the link between memory and art.

Gorgeously photographed (the period setting and use of lighting feels like something from Barry Lyndon) with the island (like something from Jane Campion's The Piano but more secluded) setting doubling as a place of solitude if entirely alone, but, if with someone a paradise where the waves crash on an empty shore. Impeccably directed, Portrait of a Lady on Fire is deserving of every one of its rave reviews.