Mubi Monday: Water Lilies (2007)

Although I can only speak from my own place of personal ignorance, it can be hard to single out world cinema stars as quickly as the already-familiar US and UK actors being praised for breakout roles. They are not in every mass product that is being shoved down our throats, and they can often be much more chameleon-like in their range of roles, due to the fact that the film is not just being sold on their name. I am happy to say, however, that I am now a die-hard fan of the immensely talented Adèle Haenel, the actress who gained such great reviews for her performance in Portrait Of A Lady On Fire, another film by writer-director Céline Sciamma. This is the feature debut from Sciamma, and it is only the second onscreen role for Haenel, but both already show the talent that would become more and more obvious over the next dozen years (and here's to many more).

This story revolves around three 15-year old girls. There's Marie (Pauline Acquart), so impressed by the school synchronised swimming team that she wants to join them. There's Anne (Louise Blachère), a member of that swimming team, and friend of Marie. And there's Floriane (Haenel), the team captain, and the subject of numerous rumours about her active sex life. Marie manages to connect with Floriane, growing closer and being taken into her confiidence, which leaves Anne feeling increasingly frustrated and lonely. Unwittingly, a love triangle of sorts is formed. Others enter and leave the picture, but the focus stays on Marie, Anne, and Floriane.

Sciamma has such a great way of allowing her characters to explore their identity, and their connections with others, without it ever feeling exploitative. Just by the fact that it's not filtered through the male gaze, things are much more impressively and sensitively handled. The fact that these characters are young girls feels like we are seeing them at just the age when they are starting to get caught up in a maelstrom of different strong emotions while they figure out who they are, who they want to be, and who they want to be intimate with.

It helps that there's not a bad turn from any of her three leads. Haenel is the standout, and the one who unwittingly causes the biggest change in the moods of the characters, but Acquart is sweet and vulnerable throughout, but not as naive as some may assume, and Blachère is shown to act up when starting to feel abandoned, without it being a one-dimensional and over the top turn. The worst character in the film is a young man named François (Warren Jacquin), guilty of the kind of behaviour that a teenage boy will often put on when he becomes the subject of some female attention.

Sciamma has definitely grown into a more accomplished film-maker over the course of her career, but this is a strong debut. You should check it out if you’re a fan of her work, a fan of Haenel, or both.

7/10

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Mubi Monday: Portrait Of A Lady On Fire (2019)

I approached Portrait Of A Lady On Fire with no small amount of trepidation. Nothing to do with what could or couldn't be in the film (I actually had no idea), but more to do with the overwhelming praise it had already received from all corners. That sometimes sets you up for a disaster. What if you like it, but don't love it? What if you don't like it? Everyone should form their own opinions about art, but when your opinion is contrary to that of almost everyone else it can lead to some creeping insecurity about your own perception and filters.

I can breathe a sigh of relief now, because Portrait Of A Lady On Fire is very good indeed. Phew. I might still get into some interesting conversations, however, as I couldn't see how it garnered QUITE the level of praise that has been heaped upon it.

Written and directed by Céline Sciamma (I have previously enjoyed Tomboy, although others have found that one a bit problematic), the film tells the story of a young painter (Marianne, played by Noémie Merlant) tasked with painting the portrait of a young woman (Héloïse, played by Adèle Haenel) who is due to be married to a gentleman from Milan. Héloïse has previously refused to be painted, she really isn't keen on the marriage that has been arranged for her, something set up rather hastily after the death of her older sister, and that means Marianne has to observe her subject more closely, pretending to be a companion as she observes everything that she hopes she can then use to create the portrait. She is helped in her scheme by Sophie (Luàna Bajrami), a young maid who seems happy to help, especially as the artist and unwitting subject spend more time together and form a stronger connection.

There's certainly plenty to enjoy here, with the lead performances being right at the top of that list. Both Merlant (destined to be played by Emma Watson in any English-language remake, surely) and Haenel doing superb work with a script that conveys more with the silent moments than it does with the actual dialogue. Bajrami is equally good, and her small role is expanded for a couple of important and interesting scenes, and I was pleased to recognise Valeria Golino in a strong supporting role, playing the Countess/mother of Héloïse.

Sciamma has a great eye, composing many of the scenes in a way fitting for a film about an artist striving to create a piece that would become her most important work. A recurring vision is particularly striking, and shown again towards the end in a context that shows how things were being foreshadowed, and the film often feels as if it is made up of firelight and shadows (one of the main posters even takes a frame from one specific moment that does this best).

Thematically, this is surprisingly simple stuff. The other things that are mixed into the plot (appreciation of great art, the sub-plot involving the maid) easily fade into the background when the focus returns to the central relationship between Marianne and Héloïse, and the love that blossoms between them. Which again puts most of the success of the film on the shoulders of the leads.

Beautifully shot and put together, perfectly cast, and fairly flawless throughout, Portrait Of A Lady On Fire deserves your time and attention. The only thing going against it is the fact that it feels a bit too much like a trip through well-trod territory for most of the runtime.

8/10