8.8
Viewer Rating
Combines user and critic ratings from four sources
Drama, Romance • 2019 • 121 min • Adults (18+)
Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019)
Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019)
Overview
On an isolated island in Brittany at the end of the eighteenth century, a female painter is obliged to paint a wedding portrait of a young woman.
Starring Cast
Noémie Merlant • Adèle Haenel • Luàna Bajrami
Where to watch
Rating & Dimensions
Bias Rating
Analyzing...
Progressive
Political: Strong Left
Diversity: High
LGBTQ: Positive
Christianity: Negative
Viewer Rating
8.8
Overview
On an isolated island in Brittany at the end of the eighteenth century, a female painter is obliged to paint a wedding portrait of a young woman.
Starring Cast
Noémie Merlant • Adèle Haenel • Luàna Bajrami
Where to watch
Detailed Bias Analysis
Analyzing...
Progressive
Primary
Political: Strong Left
Confidence: High
The film's central thesis explicitly promotes progressive ideology by centering on female agency, the female gaze, a lesbian love story, and a non-judgmental depiction of abortion within a critique of patriarchal societal constraints.
Diversity: High
Confidence: Medium
The movie features an almost entirely female cast and centers a lesbian romance, representing a significant departure from traditional narratives. Its storytelling explicitly focuses on female agency and desire, making DEI themes central to the narrative.
Secondary
LGBTQ: Positive
Confidence: High
Portrait of a Lady on Fire offers a deeply affirming and respectful portrayal of a lesbian romance. The film depicts its central characters with dignity and complexity, celebrating their love as a profound source of connection and self-discovery. While external societal pressures lead to their separation, the narrative consistently validates the worth and beauty of their relationship.
Christianity: Negative
Confidence: High
The film portrays Christian institutions, such as the convent and the societal norms enabling arranged marriages, as oppressive forces that restrict women's freedom and agency. The narrative champions the protagonists' autonomy and their forbidden love, positioning these desires in direct conflict with the constraints imposed by these institutions.
Trans: N/A
Confidence: High
Portrait of a Lady on Fire does not feature any identifiable transsexual characters or themes. The film's narrative is centered on the intense relationship between two cisgender women in 18th-century France, exploring themes of female gaze, desire, and artistic creation within a patriarchal society.
Female Combat: N/R
The movie does not contain any action or adventure elements.
Gender Swap: No
Confidence: High
Portrait of a Lady on Fire is an original screenplay, not an adaptation of existing source material or a biopic. All characters were created for this film, meaning there is no prior canonical gender to be swapped.
Race Swap: No
Confidence: High
Portrait of a Lady on Fire is an original screenplay with fictional characters, not an adaptation of existing material or a biopic of real historical figures. There is no prior canon or historical record to establish a different race for any character, thus no race swap occurs.
Viewer Rating Breakdown
User Ratings
8.0
8.1
Critic Ratings
9.8
9.5
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