Trailer
Assistive Technologies

Portrait of a Lady on Fire

Runtime
2hrs 1min
Directed by
Céline Sciamma
Featuring
Noémie Merlant, Adèle Haenel
Film Language
French
Body

Winner of Best Screenplay and the Queer Palm at the Cannes Film Festival.

France, 1760. Marianne is commissioned to paint the wedding portrait of Héloïse, a young woman who has just left the convent. Because she is 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 orbit one another, intimacy and attraction grow as they share Héloïse’s first moments of freedom. Héloïse's portrait soon becomes a collaborative act of and testament to their love. 

Winner of a coveted Cannes prize and one of the best reviewed films of last year, Portrait of a Lady on Fire solidifies Céline Sciamma as one of the most exciting filmmakers working in the world today. Noémie Merlant and Adèle Haenel turn the subtle act of looking into a dangerous, engrossing thrill, crafting the most breathtaking and elegant performances of the year. To watch Marianne and Héloïse fall in love is to see love itself invented onscreen. With contemporary themes in period dress, Portrait of a Lady on Fire is one of the greatest love stories ever told.

Reviews
Review Text

Portrait of a Lady on Fire is that rare movie in which every choice feels thought through, meaningful, and right, from the costumes by Dorothée Guiraud to the cinematography by Claire Mathon.

Review Author
Dana Stevens
Review Publication
Slate
Review Text

It’s a delicate drama that flourishes through the liberating power of art, where a hopeful yet consuming love affair sparks between two young women amid patriarchal customs, and stays concealed in their hearts both because of and in spite of it. 

Review Author
Tomris Laffly
Review Publication
Roger Ebert.com
Review Text

It’s a tender but complex love story, a slice of social commentary about the kinds of life and work opportunities historically available to women, a gorgeously shot period piece that’s heaven to look at.

Review Author
Stephanie Zacharek
Review Publication
TIME

This Week

  • From director John Crowley (Brooklyn) and starring Andrew Garfield and Florence Pugh. 

    Showtimes
  •  

    If you follow the instructions, what could go wrong?

    Showtimes
  • Limited 35mm engagement! Winner of the Palme d'Or at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival.

    Showtimes
  • In a world without justice, one man was chosen to protect the innocent.

    Showtimes
  • An American horror story from filmmaker Ali Abbasi (Border, Holy Spider), starring Sebastian Stan, Jeremy Strong, and Maria Bakalova. 

    Showtimes
  • The new thriller from Edward Berger (All Quiet on the Western Front) starring Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow, and Isabella Rossellini. 

    Showtimes
  • At 11:30pm on October 11, 1975, a troupe of young comedians and writers changed television and culture forever.

    Showtimes
  • Amazing NEW TERROR Device Makes You A Living Participant in the FLESH-CRAWLING ACTION! PERCEPTO!

    Showtimes
  • A new adaptation of Peter Brown’s beloved, award-winning, #1 New York Times bestseller, The Wild Robot.

    Showtimes
  • Director Nicholas Ma’s new film challenges us to consider whether we can disagree and still belong to each other in a divided world.

    Showtimes
  • You’re invited to a Halloween party at our house before a double-feature of Scream (1996) and Scream (2022)!

    Showtimes
  • From renegade auteur Jacques Audiard comes an audacious fever dream that defies genres starring Karla Sofía Gascón, Zoe Saldaña, & Selena Gomez.

    Showtimes
  • Actor Marco Pigossi will join us for a post-screening Q&A following our 7:15pm screening on Friday, November 1.

    Showtimes
  • Winner: Golden Bear at the 2024 Berlin International Film Festival. 

    Showtimes
  • David Lynch's startling debut feature is a lasting cult sensation influenced by the writings of Franz Kafka and Nikolai Gogol.

    Showtimes
  • The BJ Hickman Magic Show is family entertainment, with fun, audience participation, magic, and silliness galore!

    Showtimes
  • Alfred Hitchcock's Best Picture-winning gothic tale of a remarried widower haunted by the ghost of his first wife.

    Showtimes
  • Post-film discussion led by Northeastern professor Nathan Blake!

    Showtimes
  • 1 woman became 2. 2 women became 3. 3 women became 1.

    Showtimes
  • Students will learn the technical approaches & reasoning behind some of the most treasured moments of moving image storytelling.

    Showtimes
  • The new film from director Steve McQueen (12 Years a Slave), starring Saoirse Ronan. 

    Showtimes