This film is set in France, 1760, and follows the story of Marianne (Noémie Merlant), who is commissioned to paint the wedding portrait of an aristocrat named Héloïse (Adèle Haenel), a young woman who has just left the convent. Because she is a reluctant bride-to-be, Marianne arrives under the guise of companionship, observing Héloïse by day and secretly painting her by firelight at night.
As the two women orbit one another, intimacy and attraction grow as they share Héloïse’s first moments of freedom. Héloïse’s portrait soon becomes a collaborative act of and testament to their love.
Portrait of a Lady on Fire (French: Portrait de la jeune fille en feu) is a 2019 French historical drama film written and directed by Céline Sciamma, starring Noémie Merlant and Adèle Haenel. The film won the Queer Palm at Cannes, the first film directed by a woman to win the award. It is also one of the best reviewed films of the year and some consider it as one of the greatest love stories ever told.
- Starring : Noémie Merlant / Adèle Haenel
- Genre : Drama / Romance
- Country : France
- Language : French / Italian
- Director : Céline Sciamma
- Production : Lilies Films / Arte France Cinéma / Hold Up Films / Centre National du Cinéma et de L’image Animée (CNC) / Canal+ / Ciné+ / ARTE / Cinécap 2 / La Région Île-de-France
- Distributor : Alamode Film / Alliance / Andrews Film / Anticipate Pictures / Arthaus / Arthouse Traffic / Bíó Paradís / CGV Mars Dagitim / Camera Film / Cinemanse / Cinepolis Producciones / Cineworks / Cinéart / Creative Programs / Curzon Artificial Eye / Film Distribution Artcam / Folkets Bio / GAGA / Green Narae Media / Gutek Film / Hakka Distribution / Impacto Cine / Karma Films / Lev Cinemas / Lucky Red / MCF – MegaCom Film / MK2 Films / MK2 Mile End / Madman Entertainment / MegaCom Films / Midas Filmes / Mozinet / Neon / Provzglyad / Pyramide Distribution / Spentzos Films / Supo Mungam Films / Voodoo Films / Front Row Filmed Entertainment / Hulu / The Criterion Collection
Portrait of a Lady on Fire movie
Portrait of a Lady on Fire release date
- May 19, 2019 : France (Cannes Film Festival)
- June 14, 2019 : Australia (Sydney Film Festival)
- June 15, 2019 : France (Cabourg Film Festival)
- July 26, 2019 : Israel (Jerusalem Film Festival)
- August 3, 2019 : Australia (Melbourne International Film Festival)
- August 22, 2019 : France (Festival du Film Francophone d’Angoulême)
- August 30, 2019 : USA (Telluride Film Festival)
- September 1, 2019 : Switzerland (French speaking region) (Festival du Film Français d’Helvétie-Bienne)
- September 1, 2019 : Germany (Hamburg Film Festival)
- September 5, 2019 : Canada (Toronto International Film Festival)
- September 18, 2019 : Switzerland (French speaking region)
- September 18, 2019 : France
- September 20, 2019 : Spain (San Sebastián Film Festival)
- September 27, 2019 : Switzerland (Zurich Film Festival)
- September 27, 2019 : USA (Aspen Film Festival)
- September 27, 2019 : USA (Crested Butte Film Festival)
- September 29, 2019 : USA (New York Film Festival)
- October 1, 2019 : Spain (Barcelona) (subtitled version) (premiere)
- October 1, 2019 : Spain (Madrid) (subtitled version) (premiere)
- October 3, 2019 : Germany (Hamburg Film Festival)
- October 4, 2019 : USA (Mill Valley Film Festival)
- October 5, 2019 : Australia (Brisbane Film Festival)
- October 8, 2019 : UK (London Film Festival)
- October 12, 2019 : Germany (Film Festival Cologne)
- October 13, 2019 : USA (Hamptons International Film Festival)
- October 17, 2019 : USA (Chicago International Film Festival)
- October 17, 2019 : USA (San Diego International Film Festival)
- October 18, 2019 : Spain
- October 18, 2019 : USA (Middleburg Film Festival)
- October 19, 2019 : USA (Philadelphia International Film Festival)
- October 20, 2019 : USA (Vermont International Film Festival)
- October 24, 2019 : Switzerland (German speaking region)
- October 25, 2019 : USA (Virginia Film Festival)
- October 31, 2019 : Germany
- November 7, 2019 : Israel
- November 9, 2019 : UK (FilmBath Festival)
- November 9, 2019 : Philippines (Cinema One Originals Film Festival)
- November 9, 2019 : Sweden (Stockholm International Film Festival)
- November 13, 2019 : USA (Napa Valley Film Festival)
- November 15, 2019 : USA (AFI Fest)
- November 22, 2019 : USA (Key West Film Festival)
- December 6, 2019 : USA (Exclusive screening)
- December 8, 2019 : USA (AFI Silver: European Union Film Showcase)
- December 13, 2019 : Sweden
- December 16, 2019 : USA (MoMA – The Contenders)
- December 20, 2019 : Canada (Québec)
- December 26, 2019 : Australia
- February 14, 2020 : Singapore (limited)
- February 14, 2020 : USA
- February 28, 2020 : UK
- February 28, 2020 : UK (internet)
- February 28, 2020 : Ireland
Portrait of a Lady on Fire cast
- Noémie Merlant as Marianne
- Adèle Haenel as Héloïse
- Luàna Bajrami as Sophie
- Valeria Golino as La Comtesse
- Christel Baras as La faiseuse d’anges
- Armande Boulanger as L’élève atelier
- Guy Delamarche as L’homme salon
- Clément Bouyssou as Le batelier
- Michèle Clément as Une paysanne(uncredited)
- Cécile Morel as Une paysanne(uncredited)
“Portrait of a Lady on Fire solidifies Céline Sciamma as one of the most exciting filmmakers working in the world today. Noémie Merlant and Adèle Haenel turn the subtle act of looking into a dangerous, engrossing thrill, crafting the most breathtaking and elegant performances of the year. To watch Marianne and Héloïse fall in love is to see love itself invented onscreen.” – Neon
The movie was selected to compete for the Palme d’Or at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival. It won the Queer Palm at Cannes with Sciamma also winning the award for Best Screenplay. The film was theatrically released in France on September 18, 2019.
Portrait of a Lady on Fire was nominated for Independent Spirit Awards, Critics’ Choice Awards and Golden Globe Awards for Best Foreign Language Film and was chosen by the National Board of Review as Top Five in the list of Top Foreign Films of 2019. It was one of three shortlisted films by the French Ministry of Culture to be France’s submission to the 92nd Academy Awards for Best International Feature Film, along with Les Misérables and Proxima. The Ministry opted to submit Les Misérables to the Oscars.
Principal photography began in October 2018 and was completed after 38 days. Filming took place in Saint-Pierre-Quiberon in Brittany and a château in La Chapelle-Gauthier, Seine-et-Marne.
The paintings and sketches used in the film were made by artist Hélène Delmaire. She painted 16 hours every day during the course of filming, and her hands were also featured in the film. To mark the release of the film in France, Delmaire’s paintings from Portrait of a Lady on Fire were exhibited at the Galerie Joseph in Paris from 20 to 22 September 20 to 22, 2019.
Portrait of a Lady on Fire was is acclaimed by the critics. On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 98% based on 162 reviews, with an average rating of 9.02/10. On Metacritic, the film received a score of 95 out of 100, based on 30 critic reviews, indicating “universal acclaim”.
Also, check these topics out: Katy Keene Season 1 Episode 2 trailer, Dynasty Season 3 Episode 13 release date, X-Men movies in order of release date, X Factor UK 2019, Charmed Season 2 Episode 13 trailer, AGT judges, The Bold Type Season 4 Episode 4 trailer, The Voice Katie Kadan Rolling in the Deep, Grown-ish Season 3 Episode 5 release date, Law and Order SVU Season 21 Episode 14 release date, Abigail movie, Marcelito Pomoy Beauty and the Beast, A Million Little Things Season 2 Episode 13, MacGyver Season 4 Episode 2. Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019 movie). Portrait of a Lady on Fire movie 2019 trailer, cast Noémie Merlant, Adèle Haenel.
