Portrait of a Lady on Fire

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Céline Sciamma directs. Claire Mathon behind the camera. Arthur Simonini scores. Julien Lacheray cuts. Profitable at the box office. Produced in France. Dialogue in Italian, French.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

• 1Released 7 years ago.
• 2Dialogue crosses 2 languages: Italian, French.
• 3Directed by Céline Sciamma, shot by Claire Mathon. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
• 4Original score by Arthur Simonini. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
• 5Editor Julien Lacheray shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
• 6Noémie Merlant and Adèle Haenel and Luàna Bajrami carry the top of the cast.
• 7Marketing tagline: "Don't regret. Remember.".
• 8IMDB entry: tt8613070 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
• 9Classified under 38 themes, including "island", "fire", "beach", "arranged marriage".
• 10Released under 16 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography

Claire Mathon

Original score

Arthur Simonini

Editing

Julien Lacheray

Production design

Thomas Grézaud

Costume design

Dorothée Guiraud

Makeup / hair

Marthe Faucouit

VFX supervisor

Alain Carsoux

Sound

Daniel Sobrino

Stunt coordinator

Yves Girard

Runtime

121 min · 2h 1m

Aspect ratio (typical)

1.37:1 (Academy)

Status

Released

Budget

$5,740,000

Box office

$9,923,127

Return

173% of budget

Original language

FR

Certification (US)

R

IMDB

Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019) ↗

Also by

Céline Sciamma

• 
  Tomboy

  2011 · ★ 7.3
• 
  Petite Maman

  2021 · ★ 7.1
• 
  Water Lilies

  2007 · ★ 6.5
• 
  Girlhood

  2014 · ★ 6.5
• 
  Pauline

  2009 · ★ 6.1
• 
  This Is How a Child Becomes a Poet

  2023

Stills · wallpapers

Selected frames

Full-resolution frames — open one to save it as a wallpaper.

Wallpaper Wallpaper Wallpaper Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

• 

  ▶
  Mark Kermode reviews Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019) | BFI Player

  Featurette · Official
• 

  ▶
  Official Clip

  Clip · Official
• 

  ▶
  Portrait of a Lady on Fire Q&A with Director Céline Sciamma

  Featurette · Official
• 

  ▶
  Céline Sciamma on the Female Gaze in Portrait of a Lady on Fire

  Featurette
• 

  ▶
  PORTRAIT OF A LADY ON FIRE director Céline Sciamma on directing her first feature film

  Featurette · Official
• 

  ▶
  One-Week Limited Engagement in NY & LA

  Teaser · Official

Community reviews

What people are saying

• SWITCH.2019-08-16
  ★ 10/10

  As the credits began to roll on ‘Portrait of a Lady on Fire’, I was practically incapable of moving or speaking. Every time I didn’t think the film could possibly get any better, Céline Sciamma elevated it to even greater, more incomprehensible heights, culminating in one of the most extraordinary moments in 21st-century cinema. This is a rare and precious film, breathtaking in its craft and intensely honest in its passions. This is a film that aches, that longs, that dances in ecstasy and raises its hands to the sky, angelic and ferocious and perfect. Simply put, ’Portrait of a Lady on Fire’ is a masterpiece, and one of the best films of this or any year. - Daniel Lammin Read Daniel's full article... https://www.maketheswitch.com.au/article/review-portrait-of-a-lady-on-fire-a-perfect-film-on-the-language-of-desire

  Read full review ↓
• Heloisa2020-01-14
  ★ 10/10

  The best LGBT movie ever. And that's on period luv.

  Read full review ↓
• Louisa Moore - Screen Zealots2020-03-27
  ★ 10/10

  Céline Sciamma, writer and director of “Portrait of a Lady on Fire,” calls her period film a “manifesto on the male gaze.” This is the most accurate, elegant description of her story of a romance between two French women in the late 1700s. This is an impeccably detailed, beautifully acted, refined drama with a strong feminist angle that’s as stirring as it is thought-provoking. Marianne (Noémie Merlant) is commissioned to paint the wedding portrait of Héloïse (Adèle Haenel), a young woman who has just left the convent. Because Héloïse is a very reluctant bride-to-be, Marianne arrives under the guise of companionship, observing the smallest of details about the woman by day and secretly painting her by firelight at night. As the two women spend their days with one another, intimacy and attraction grow, and the portrait becomes a symbol of the intensity of their love. The lead performances are mannered and structured in the most effective way. The strong desire between the two women is manifested in a gaze or careful examination of a wisp of hair or the way Héloïse crosses her hands. There’s a quiet intensity to the emotional and physical intimacy between these two women, making this love story’s end feel all the more heartbreaking. This is mostly an all-female film, and the men briefly seen on screen play little importance. Rounding out the characters are Héloïse’s mother (Valeria Golino) and housekeeper Sophie (Luàna Bajrami), who both fill critical roles in the story as the film explores issues affecting women at the time, including arranged marriages, career expectations, and health concerns. The film itself is absolutely stunning, with gorgeously romantic and lush cinematography by Claire Mathon setting a sensual tone that complements the story. The artistry is outstanding, making “Portrait of a Lady on Fire” one of the most powerful, intellectual dramas of the year.

  Read full review ↓

Production companies

Who made it

• 

  Lilies Films

  FR

• 

  ARTE France Cinéma

  FR

• HO

  Hold Up Films

  FR

Key crew

• ProducerBénédicte Couvreur
• CastingChristel Baras
• Costume DesignDorothée Guiraud
• Production DesignThomas Grézaud
• EditorJulien Lacheray
• Co-ProducerOlivier Père
• Co-ProducerRémi Burah
• Best Boy GripCharles Lagorce
• ElectricianVincent Taberlet
• ColoristJérôme Bigueur
• Makeup ArtistMarthe Faucouit
• Construction CoordinatorGuillaume Diehl
• Foley ArtistVincent Milner
• Foley RecordistEdouard Morin
• Visual Effects SupervisorAlain Carsoux
• First Assistant CameraAlan Guichaoua
• Extras CastingMarie Pierre Delabrière
• Location ScoutSamuel Rodriguez-Mallet
• Production ManagerClaire Langmann
• Construction CoordinatorLionel Brison
• StuntsSybille Blouin
• Stunt DoubleCécilia Ngo
• ElectricianGaël Carrière
• ElectricianMickael Georgeault

Themes & keywords

What it's about, really

• island
• fire
• beach
• arranged marriage
• classical music
• painting
• melancholy
• painter
• greek mythology
• lesbian relationship
• person on fire
• period drama
• lesbian sex
• portrait
• lgbt
• 18th century
• woman director
• abortion
• portrait drawing
• posing for a portrait
• women gathering
• women in film
• complex
• walk
• painting lesson
• symphony orchestra
• lesbian
• woman falls in love
• vivaldi
• women
• bitter
• admiring
• adoring
• awestruck
• compassionate
• empathetic
• melodramatic
• steamy romance

Release history · US

When it landed

• Premiere2019-08-30· Telluride Film Festival
• Premiere2019-09-29· New York Film Festival
• Theatrical (limited)2019-12-06R· New York City, New York & Los Angeles, California
• Theatrical2020-02-14R
• Digital2020-03-27R· Hulu
• Digital2020-04-03R
• Physical2020-06-23R· Criterion Blu-ray & DVD

Also known as

International titles

• 燃烧的女子肖像CN
• 浴火的少女畫像HK
• 燃烧女子的画像MO
• 火吻女孩的肖像CN
• ภาพฝันของฉันคือเธอTH
• Alev Almış Bir Genç Kızın PortresiTR
• Retrato de uma Jovem em ChamasBR
• Portrett av en kvinne i flammerNO
• 타오르는 여인의 초상KR
• Portret kobiety w ogniuPL
• Porträtt av en kvinna i brandSE
• Portrait of a Lady on FireUS
• Retrato de Uma Rapariga em ChamasPT
• Retrato de una mujer en llamasES
• تک‏چهره بانویی در آتشIR