Since its inception in 2010, the Queer Palm of the Cannes Film Festival has been pocketed by male directors for nine consecutive years.
But just this past 2019, a dashing, capable French woman broke with this unwritten convention.
Her new films beat out many annual word-of-mouth masterpieces such as "Pain and Glory" and "Then We Danced".
Groundbreaking, but also quite commemorative, won the first gay gold leaf belonging to a female director -
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" > portrait of a burning woman</h1>
Portrait of the Girl on Fire
Director: Serene Sianma
Writers: Serene Seaamma
Starring: Nomi Melant / Adella Harnell / Valeria Golino / Luna Bajrami
Release: 2019-09-18 (France)
Duration: 120 minutes
Douban 8.7, Rotten Tomatoes Freshness 98%, MetaCritic Average Score 93 & Must See Certified.
I'm pretty sure that after trying a small test with Daffodil Blossom (2007) and surprising Berlin with Tomboy (2011),
After this battle, Celine Sienma, who appeared in Cannes with this film, has leapt to the rank of the most untraceable female directors of our time.
In the years before the new work, her co-screeners "When We Are 17" and "The Life of Zucchini" are internationally renowned.
In this way, it is also expected that "Portrait of the Burning Woman" will win the best screenplay award in the main competition unit of Cannes.
But it wasn't just the script that made the film second only to Parasite (3.3/4.0, tied for second with Pain and Glory).
People also praise his exquisite photography, expressive performances and emotional music.
Ten years of grinding a sword, the frost blade finally has to be tried.
After a long time of dormancy and meticulous craftsmanship, Serene finally presented this masterpiece full of classical beauty and rebellious spirit to the vast number of fans and queer groups in the 21st century.
The story takes place in Brittany, France in 1760.
The female painter Marianne was invited to cross the ocean to an isolated island to paint a portrait of the rich lady Eloiz who was about to marry Milan.
The difficulty of the task was that the young lady was extremely resistant to it.
The semi-finished product of the last painter is still abandoned in the corner of the studio.
To be precise, the "semi-finished product" is a bit exaggerated, it is just a defective product that has been artificially damaged.
Strangely enough, at first glance, this portrait is clearly well-painted and has not traveled to the pool.
In the painting, the human body is dignified, and the color of the costume is also full and bright. Why was the face just rudely erased?
Through the mouth of the maid and the countess, Marianne learned that the young lady had been living in the convent and had just moved here.
And the reason why she moved back home was not out of voluntariness, but to replace her sister who jumped off a cliff and committed suicide, as agreed, to marry a Milanese who had never met before.
She didn't want to sit down and let the painter paint well because she didn't accept the affair.
So the Countess had to deceive her, and privately asked Marianne to hide her identity as a painter, to accompany her for a walk, to observe during the day and paint at night.
Doubtful and curious, Marianne began to make contact with Miss Mystery.
Compared to Marianne, who was exposed to the camera early and with a clear image, Eloise is more of a mystery.
The director held her in the palm of his hand, afraid that the mystery floating around her would prematurely dissipate and lose.
She tried everything in her power to perpetuate that wonderful atmosphere.
At first, Marianne could only contemplate the faceless portrait in the moonlight.
Then, the young lady's past gradually appeared in the sketches of other people's words.
But for a portrait, the most recognizable is still the face.
Therefore, Marianne, like us, couldn't wait to see the lady's face.
Serene set up enough suspense in the scene where the young lady appeared.
When the two first met, Eloise took the lead in leaving Marianne with a tightly wrapped back.
Hearing Marianne's approaching footsteps, she stepped out of the door without turning her head and walked in the direction of the sea.
Immediately after, the cloaked hat slipped off in a hurried step, revealing a beautiful blond hair.
But she continued to walk forward with her own care and did not turn back.
When she reached the seashore, she suddenly changed the frequency of her steps and ran towards the sea.
At this moment, the living flesh under the skirt loomed, and the golden hair was also disturbed by the sea breeze.
It seems to me that she jumped out of the frame of the portrait and appeared in Marianne's sight as a living person.
At the time, I thought Eloiz would jump to the bottom of the ocean like her sister.
Marianne thought the same thing.
But she was far more unique and unfathomable than we thought.
She jerked to a halt on the shore, turned her head, and didn't even say hello to Marianne, just saying, "This is what I've longed to do for years." ”
Marianne asked, "Mourir?" ”
Eloise replied, "Courir. ”
The first sight of the two is simple and neat, without much words to embellish.
Marianne hung up the portrait to be completed, silently following, observing silently.
As for what is on Eloiz's mind, we don't seem to know.
But it is not difficult to notice that although her voice is cheerful and powerful, she looks at Marianne's eyes without vigilance.
If at this time Marianne was merely carefully performing her duties, mechanically remembering the physical features of Eloise.
Well, I think that Eloise, who seems to be in a passive state, has done more.
Those owl-like eyes told us that she was already tentatively groping into Marianne's heart.
Sure enough, in the next few outings, Eloise slowly opened his heart.
She told Marianne what she thought of her sister and the convent.
Still smiling and confessing, she felt the freedom in Marianne's mouth.
Marianne, on the other hand, did not dare to reveal her true self.
To draw Eloise's folded hands, she had to hide behind the reef and secretly record it.
Accidentally revealing the fact that she loves to draw, she can't go on with the trend.
What worried her the most was the repeated intrusion of Eloiz in the middle of the painting.
Whenever this happened, she always had to hurry to put away the painting tools, or quietly hide her hands covered with paint.
Because according to the experience of the previous painter, once it was discovered by Eloise, this portrait was bound to die in her hands.
But after a few days of exchanges, Marianne knew a lot about Eloiz after all.
So, out of respect, sympathy, and a little pity, marianne decided to tell Eloise the truth after the painting was completed, and gave her the portrait for herself.
However, Eloiz's reaction exceeded Marianne's expectations.
The truth did not make her too angry, but she was extremely dissatisfied with the portrait.
Eloise did not want to believe that Marianne could only paint such a rigid but mediocre work, and even less did she want to believe that she saw herself as lifeless.
As a result, the portrait was also invalidated, and the face of the person in the painting was erased again.
But this time, it wasn't Eloiz who destroyed it, it was Marianne.
Eloiz's words stabbed her.
Perhaps to save the painter's face, or perhaps to prove that in her mind, Eloise was not a lifeless and lethal appearance, and she took the initiative to ask for a new painting.
The two of them thus extended their relationship in an unpleasant way for five days.
It was also in the five days of the countess's absence that they had a crush on each other, confirmed their hearts, and shared the sweetest days of each other's lives.
Quite simply, Portrait of a Burning Woman is the story of two women from different classes and temperaments who fall in love despite their lives.
This set is not new today, because the 2010s were the decade of lesbian movies.
From "Adele's Life" (2013) to "Carol" (2015) to "Miss" (2016), the vigorous female love increasingly occupies the focus of the video.
In a pair of women who are obsessed with each other, the beauty and purity of love are more prominent.
It is a pity that there are always a number of male directors behind the camera, and it seems that the LGTBQ theme cannot escape the "dictatorship" of the male perspective.
But it is gratifying that just as the first decade of the 21st century is dying, the talented female director Serene Sienma, together with her lesbian film, illuminates the misty eyes in the fire, giving us a promising future.
In fact, the lily films mentioned above are already quite good.
Regarding the same-sex love of women, Kosy Xu grasped its fierceness and truth, Hines captured its gentleness and delicacy, and Park Chan-wook smeared it fiercely and intensely.
Each of the three has their own strengths, and each interprets their own understanding of women and lesbians in different video styles.
But don't forget, the identity of the male director is a natural barrier.
They are doomed to put themselves in the shoes of women, but to "watch" women with the inherent gaze of men, outside the defined distance, with some kind of assumption.
"Adele's Life" is directed by Abdei Kosciusz
One of the most direct examples is that "Adele's Life" has attracted a lot of criticism because it comes from a male hand.
For the 20-minute long sex scene in the film, the two leading actors have publicly expressed their dissatisfaction.
Not only did the shooting time be extremely long, causing serious physical and mental torture to the actors, but the director would also repeatedly watch the captured pictures.
Leia Saidu bluntly said that this made her feel sick, and the two of them also fell out with Koscius.
Portrait of the Burning Woman does not have such problems.
There is no need for a lot of nudity shots or excessively intense sex scenes,
With just a few kisses, a few strokes, and a dark sending of autumn waves between you and me, it has the authenticity, detail and intensity of the above three films.
In this genre, Serene Sienma does have a unique advantage -
She was a woman, and she was a lesbian.
First of all, as a woman, Serene knows how depressed women are when they live in the shadow of patriarchy.
Therefore, unlike the vague context of "Adele's Life", which focuses on portraying the huge gap between the two heroines,
While classifying the plight of women, the film also pays attention to surrounding them in the same camp and taking a clear stand against men who are not present.
In this film, the male characters are extremely minor and have very little appearance time.
But the real helplessness lies in the fact that, even so, it is still the almost invisible male who hinders the love of Eloise and Marianne.
This sincere love affair that sprouted on the isolated island ultimately failed to resist the invasion of the patriarchal society thousands of miles away.
What defeated them was not so much the same-sex love that was not recognized by the world, but rather the will that Eloise was powerless to disobey.
Two days before the Countess's return, they were agitated by the sorrow of the imminent separation.
In the face of fear, the reluctance in the heart becomes verbal meanness.
Marianne blamed Eloiz for going against the grain and seeking perfection.
But Eloiz felt that Marianne was also cowardly.
Since you don't want me to marry someone else, why don't you dare to say it yourself?
The truth is, neither of them is wrong.
Eloise had long since fought for himself, as evidenced by the faceless portrait.
Marianne, on the other hand, was not qualified to speak at all, and it was already a "gift" to the countess to stay on the island for a few more days.
In the social context of the time, even free love between men and women was a luxury.
Two women in a weak position naturally have no power to fight back.
In Europe in the mid-18th century, women were so insignificant and involuntary.
Eloise's mother and sister are both victims of this value system.
In an isolated island without men, the widowed countess seems to be the highest in power.
Can we trace back to the source, determine its fate, and shape its thinking is not still the patriarchal society on the other side?
When she was young, she was also married in this way.
The portrait came to this house before her, and the real home that gave birth to her and raised her, she had not returned for twenty years.
Twenty years later, the situation seems to have not improved in the slightest, and the daughter still has to repeat her mistakes and repeat her tragedy.
And she herself, she has been completely domesticated, transformed into the best spokesperson for the husband power system.
But, thankfully, in the younger generation of women in the film, we can see that self-awareness is quietly awakening.
Faced with a marriage contract falling from the sky, Eloiz tried to resist, and her sister did not hesitate to die to seek relief.
In the obstacle-ridden road of learning, Marianne ignores the prejudices of the outside world and the vigilance of men, and strives to realize her own value.
Even the maid Sophie, accompanied and encouraged by Eloiz and Marianne, gave her life a helm.
Despite the pressure of her husband's power, Eloiz eventually wants to cross the ocean and marry someone else's wife;
Despite the pressure of the patriarchy, Marianne wanted to participate in the exhibition, but also had to use her father's name;
Despite the pressure of male power, Sophie had to endure inhuman pain at a young age.
But they've at least indulged, struggled, fought.
Between the two points and one line between the mother's family and the husband's family, they rampaged and had no taboos.
Even if they will eventually be forced to a preset ending, I think that the terrifying waves that they enjoy along the way will shine in their hearts and never subside.
So, when Marianne lit a portrait left by a previous painter with a candle, the film was first lit.
The portrait of the woman burned fiercely, and in the fireplace it turned into ashes in a wisp.
At the same time, Eloise was able to escape from the shackles of portraiture and worldly regulations, and the desires and passions in Mary's peace of mind were also ignited by fireworks.
The ghostly males hiding between the textures of the canvas, whether it was the count who tamed his mother, the Milanese who "killed" his sister, or the painter who had tried to manipulate the person in the painting, let the fire burn out.
But the "portrait of a burning woman" is still not a "portrait of a burning woman."
After seeing it, I found out that this love film, whose title does not carry a lot, only points to the scene of Eloise and Mary Settling.
Before that, they had already experienced countless eye waves, revealing a lot of affection.
But in the end, it is still the scene that is the most shocking, which can make people realize the bones and enthusiasm of love in an instant.
How far has the fanaticism reached?
It was when the two men stood on the two "shores" of the campfire, and Eloiz looked at Marianne so intently that the hem of her skirt was stained with flames.
As a queer, Serene finally chose to use the bitterness and tears of women as the foundation, and threw colorful pen and ink into the sweetness and pain of love.
She photographed Eloise, trapped in love, so beautifully that those who hated Adella Harnell's wrinkled face and soft silhouette could not help but praise.
Adella's performance makes all the heartache, heartache and heartbreak seem believable.
When Marianne played the piano awkwardly for her, she didn't even try to hide the smile at the corners of her mouth.
Just staring straight at the side of her sweetheart's face, more carefully than Marianne had watched her.
I am convinced that she is the woman who will be fascinated by her lover and provoke fire for it;
She was still the woman who, after catching a glimpse of the flames beneath her feet, would raise her head and continue to gaze obsessively at her lover.
But you probably can't imagine that it is this blunt, bright, stubborn, stubborn, willing to put out the fire for the love of moths, Eloiz, will give up her past dead guard gaze in the last encounter of the two in this life.
Eleuze, Marianne, and Sophie discussed the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice.
It was a sad love story.
After his beloved wife Eurydice was killed by a poisonous snake, Orpheus was deeply saddened.
He then came to the underworld and asked the king and queen to return Eurydice to him.
Orpheus's affection touched the goddess of vengeance, and the king and queen of Hades softened their hearts and granted his plea.
But they made one condition: Orpheus was not allowed to turn back until he left the underworld.
Once he looked back at his wife, Eurydice would never have a chance to survive.
The outcome can be imagined.
Orpheus failed to keep his promise, and he lost his beloved wife forever.
Interestingly, the three girls had their own opinions on why Orpheus looked back.
Sophie's idea is simple.
She thought that if she wanted to save her lover's life, she should hold back her thoughts, and Orpheus had no reason to turn back.
But Marianne was much more poetic, and she felt that Orpheus had made the choice of poet—
Although he no longer possessed the Eurydice, he treasured the memories of his lover in the moment of looking back.
And Eloise is the most emotional.
Maybe the truth, she said, was not so complicated, that It was Eurydice who made Orpheus turn back.
Will Eurydice also be bothered by the thoughts, preferring to disappear in the next second, and to see what his lover looks like this second?
Eloise's views are simple, yet more romantic than any kind of sophisticated interpretation.
At the time, Eloiz himself was deeply impressed by this.
So, as Marianne left, she called Marianne to look back, as she understood Central Eurydice.
But many years later, when they were reunited, Eleuze turned his back on his beliefs.
In the glittering concert hall, as was the night of the bonfire that year, they were separated.
Marianne saw Eloiz on the shore and stared closely at the familiar face.
Unfortunately, she couldn't wait for a look back.
In a full three-minute long shot, Eloiz listens to Vivaldi's "Four Seasons", the melody that Marianne once played for her, looking ahead,
Even if he was in tears, he would never turn his head to look at each other.
Some say that Eloise doesn't see Marianne, she's nostalgic for the past with her music.
But I thought that they must have "seen" each other.
However, Eloise is no longer the desperate and burning woman she once was.
For those three minutes, she might have thought:
If you can't help but look back, won't you lose?
*This article is written by Kiwi