Film and literature are full of exciting love stories. We love those stories where two people fall in love intensely. But to make it more attractive, there has to be a conflict. Impossible or forbidden love is perfect for the occasion. That's the beautiful French film "Portrait of a Woman on Fire", a forbidden love story.

What is the story?

Marianne is a painter who signs her paintings with her father's name. It's the year 1770 and being a woman she can't put her signature on the works of art. She is commissioned to make a portrait of a young woman named Héloïse who is engaged to an Italian man she has never met. A common occurrence at that time. That's why the girl must be sent a portrait. Before hiring Marianne, another painter tries to do the portrait, but Héloïse doesn't let her face show. She doesn't want to get married. Until recently, she was in a convent and it was her older sister who would marry the Italian. An imposition she did not accept and apparently committed suicide. Marianna has to pose as a maid of honor for the outdoor walks with Héloïse. In this way, they begin to get to know each other, and the feeling of love will eventually emerge and take hold of the two women who are prisoners of the social statutes of the time.

Source IMDB

This woman in flames is of slow fire. This can be a problem for an audience used to films with frantic rhythms. I love the slow pace, with an abundance of silences and little effect music. The film is made with austerity, so that we can focus on the details, a simple glance says more than a thousand words. Through those details, we see the way the two women come together. These factors make the love story credible to the viewer. The director doesn't need to resort to morbidity for love scenes. It's not necessary to show unbridled sex to believe the love between two women. This film runs away from those kinds of scenes. They are not necessary.

The direction of photography by the French Claire Mathon is beautiful. The scenes with open shots in exteriors transmit the sensation of seeing a painting in movement. It's the effect we're looking for and it gives the story more strength. Especially because most of these scenes are with the protagonists. The third element to make this film great is…

Source IMDB

Noémie Merlant playing Marianne and Adèle Haenel in Héloïse's skin achieves great chemistry. From the first frame, when they cross eyes, they combine perfectly. I was a theatre actor in my youth. That's why I value so much acting work in films where scenes with silences predominate. It's that way, when you see the talent of the actor. Where only with gestures, looks or subtle movements he has to transmit emotions and feelings. A round of applause for these two actresses. The rest of the cast is secondary and mostly actresses. The male characters are few and far between and have occasional appearances. What matters in this story is the vision of these women, who are victims of a society with strict rules of conduct. Where they must sacrifice what they feel. Abandon what they love. Pretend to be something they are not.

The final stretch has a heart-wrenching intensity. Those final minutes will make you cry with rage. That's why I recommend Portrait of a Woman on Fire. A film that reminded me of what it feels like to fall into the arms of an impossible love.