Introduced on July 22 by Bente van Noppen.
Portrait de la jeune fille en feu
On a remote island near Brittany in the late 18th century, artist Marianne (Noémie Merlant) is commissioned to paint the wedding portrait of Heloïse (Adèle Haenel). The headstrong Heloïse is not keen on the marriage, so Marianne creates the portrait without her knowledge. During long walks on the French coast, she observes her model at length: her movements, her gaze, a rare smile. At night, Marianne secretly works on the painting. In Heloise's last days of freedom, the attraction between the two women grows, until finally love ignites. Winner of the Queer Palm, Cannes Film Festival 2019.
Céline Sciamma's films often revolve around identity, gender and sexuality, themes that she links to the motif of “the first time”: a first falling in love (Naissance des Pieuvres, Portrait de la jeune fille en feu), feeling “different” for the first time (Tomboy), or just belonging somewhere for the first time (Girlhood). The way she does it makes her one of the most exceptional directors of the moment.
Rialto staff member Bente van Noppen: ‘Portrait de la jeune fille en feu shows female desire not as an object, but as a perspective - as a manifesto for the female gaze that puts the forgotten history of women at the centre.’
