Following such exceptional works as Water Lilies, Tomboy, and Girlhood, Céline Sciamma’s fourth feature is a staggering masterwork of indelible artistry, uncompromising vision, and emotional power. Gifted painter Marianne (a revelatory Noémie Merlant) arrives on a remote island to render the wedding portrait of Héloïse (a haunting Adèle Haenel, who made a splash as the object of affection in Sciamma’s feature debut Water Lilies) without the latter's knowledge or permission. As Marianne studies her subject's movements and moods, an intense bond starts to take hold with unexpected results. With a visual and emotional power reminiscent of Jane Campion’s The Piano (still the only film directed by a woman to win the Palme d’Or) and ample support from both veteran Italian actress Valeria Golino (Daughter of Mine, MVFF 2018) and promising newcomer Luàna Bajrami (School’s Out) who round out four-person cast, the smoldering Portrait of a Lady on Fire was the talk of this year’s Cannes Film Festival, claiming the Best Screenplay prize and the Queer Palm—the first time the prize for the latter was awarded to a woman.
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