The movie scored an almost unheard of 95% on Metacritic.
Originally released in cinemas in 2019, Portrait Of A Lady On Fire became an immediate critical hit. It won multiple awards for Best Picture, Best Screenplay and Best Actress at film festivals all around the world.
But as with most films of this nature, it wasn’t a massive commercial success – $10 million at the worldwide box office – but it should find a new lease of life now that it is available for streaming.
Set in France in 1760, the movie tells the story of Marianne (Noémie Merlant), who has been commissioned to paint the wedding portrait of Héloïse (Adèle Haenel), a reluctant bride-to-be.
Marianne arrives under the guise of companionship, observing Héloïse by day and secretly painting her by firelight at night. As the two women spend more and more time together, their intimacy and mutual attraction begins to grow.
Upon release, the film scored 98% on Rotten Tomatoes and an extremely rare 95% on Metacritic, with movie lovers declaring it to be one of the greatest cinematic portrayals of romance ever.
The Hollywood Reporter – “An exquisitely executed love story that’s both formally adventurous and emotionally devastating, she sticks the landing like a UCLA gymnast in peak condition. It’s so good you’ll want to watch again in slow-motion immediately afterwards just to see how she does it.”
Los Angeles Times – “It’s the rare movie that can take something as ancient as myth and use it to break your heart anew.”
Vulture – “Portrait of a Lady on Fire builds and builds and builds, as we keep waiting for an explosion, a big emotional climax. And it arrives with the very last shot — which I won’t reveal other than to say it’s one of the finest pieces of acting and one of the most moving images I’ve seen in eons.”
Portrait Of A Lady On Fire is available to watch on Netflix right now.
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