100 WORD FILM REVIEWS / Portrait of a Lady on Fire

Portrait of a Lady on Fire: A+

Image © Pyramide Films

Celine Sciamma’s feminist LGBTQ+ masterpiece, Portrait of a Lady on Fire, is a testament to slow-burning (pun intended) cinema with a nuanced and minimalistic approach.  An artist, Marianne, is employed to secretly paint a portrait of Heloise, who is engaged to be married.  What starts off as a job for Marianne slowly begins to morph into a deeper romantic connection, which Heloise reciprocates.  Both women study one another with longing eyes; a glance here and there and observing the subtleties of one another’s movements and gestures.  The love between these women is so believable, which makes the ending so tragic.

Blake Johnson, Guest Contributor

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