Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019)

There are films out there with mediocre stories, but incredibly exciting execution (i.e. the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe), and then there are films with incredibly heartbreakingly beautiful stories with unbelievably boring execution. “Portrait of a Lady on Fire” falls into the latter.

Going into this film, I was ready to be blown away. It had ben decried as “A Ravishing Masterpiece” (The Observer) and has won 38 awards and 111 more nominations. At the very least, I expected a cinematic marvel. A film so beautifully shot that it could hang in the Louvre and be compared to at it’s worst the beautiful crafted painting depicted in the film.

What I witnessed, instead, was incredible acting, a compelling story, but an execution that made it seem as though the director’s heart was not in the project.

What’s even more frustrating, is the fact that director Céline Sciamma has one of her characters say exactly how I feel about this film when presented with her first portrait.

Héloïse turns to the painter, Marianne and said, “You mean there’s no life? No presence?”.

If this was intentional, then why did the style and creativity of Sciamma’s choices not change after that line? Why were we still forced to sit through another hour-plus of dialogue scenes where at most we are subjected to a medium-shot (the most boring of all shots)?

I am not saying there are no moments of brilliance in this film. There are several. Some even simple in execution where the performances are exciting enough to stop even the most brutish movie-goer from fidgeting in their chair.

But this film was just boring. And it should not have been.

I still believe everyone should see this film. But I feel that way about all films. See it and form your own opinion. There are clearly enough people who hail this film as a masterpiece to warrant it making its way over the Atlantic. And I can honestly see what all the fuss is about. But I was left thinking what I would have done differently through out most of 130 minutes, and I should not have been.

It has an interesting story and superb acting, but it is a technical snooze fest. It’s just not for me.