Romance and art entwine in this sumptuous new masterpiece from Céline Sciamma ('Tomboy', 'Girlhood') - winner of Best Screenplay at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival and nominated for the 2020 BAFTA for Best Film Not in the English Language.
Set in late 18th century France, painter Marianne (Noémie Merlant) is commissioned by an affluent countess to paint the wedding portrait of her sheltered but headstrong daughter Héloïse (Adèle Haenel), in the hope it will find her a wealthy husband.
While posing as her hired companion, Marianne is instructed to complete the portrait in secret, observing Héloïse by day and painting her by night. However, as the two women grow closer, their intimacy and attraction begins to blossom, paving the way for a simmering, star-crossed romance.
A heartbreaking period piece told with a distinctly modern feminist energy, 'Portrait of a Lady on Fire' is the first female-directed film to win the Queer Palm at the Cannes Film Festival
★★★★★ "Sublime filmmaking makes this love story soar" - Katie Goh, Little White Lies
★★★★★ Raphael Abraham, Financial Times
★★★★★ Dave Calhoun, Time Out
★★★★★ Larushka Ivan-Zadeh, Metro
★★★★★ "Real love may be fleeting, but as Portrait of a Lady on Fire explains, art and memory are immortal" - Clarisee Loughrey, The Independent
★★★★★ "Demonstrates a new mastery of classical style" - Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian
15
120 minutes
2020
Drama, European, Gay, Romance
France
French
English
Curzon Artificial Eye