Review: 'Portrait of a Lady on Fire' is a radiantly beautiful masterpiece

The force of art, the pull of freedom and the power of love all collide in writer-director Céline Schiamma’s French drama “Portrait of a Lady on Fire,” one of the most sumptuous and seductive movies in years.

Sciamma sets her story in 18th century France, when marriage was as much an economic proposition — a merger of two family businesses, a negotiation over property — as a romantic one. That’s why a countess (Valeria Golino) is trying to marry her daughter, Héloise (Adèle Haenel), to some wealthy gentleman. 

Héloise is opposed to this idea, so much so that she refuses to sit for a portrait, a requirement to sell off a marriageable woman. The countess brings in Marianne (Noémie Merlant), a painter and art teacher, and gives her an impossible request: Become Héloise’s companion, catching glimpses of her face by day, then painting from memory in secret every night.

Marianne warms to the professional challenge of getting Héloise to pose without knowing she’s posing. But the longer she spends examining Héloise’s form on the sly, the more the two start falling in love. The heat in this picture isn’t just coming from the copious sunshine, but from the burning passion between them.

It’s difficult to list all the beautiful things Sciamma captures so stunningly in this film. The windswept Brittany coasts are on that list. So are her radiant leading ladies, Merlant and Haenel, who capture the sense of freedom they seek through a passionate romance that each knows will not be allowed to last.

There’s one scene in particular — the one that gives this love-drenched movie its title — that is the most ravishing. Marianne and Héloise come upon a bonfire, and a group of travelers playing a simple yet alluring folk tune. The women are so enraptured by the music that they barely notice that the hem of Héloise’s dress has caught fire. That’s one bravura moment among many, but it exemplifies the sexual tension and pure beauty of this stunning drama.

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‘Portrait of a Lady on Fire’

★★★★

Opened February 14 in select cities; opening Friday, February 21, at the Broadway Centre Cinemas (Salt Lake City). Rated R for some nudity and sexuality. Running time: 121 minutes; in French, with subtitles.