First & Last 012
Friday, June 30, 2023 at 9:00AM Can you guess the movie from its first and last shot?
For this one let's try just the first shot. The last, after the jump will surely give it away...
Oui, that's the fan favourite lesbian romantic drama Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019) by the incredible Celine Sciamma. If her name is attached to a film, whether as screenwriter or director, you know it's worth your time. See Petite Maman, Water Lilies, Girlhood, Being 17, My Life as a Zucchini, and more for proof. We figured it was an excellent choice to close out Pride month though our current "Queering the Oscars" series will continue a bit into July since we wear the rainbow flag all year.
How much do you love Portrait of a Lady on Fire? It really was a shame that it got one of those awkward two-different-year straddling releases because by the time the public (or the arthouse crowd at least) was in love with it, it's awards chances had slipped on by. Still despite France not choosing it as their Oscar submission (its home country went with crime drama Les Miserables instead) it did manage BAFTA, Bodil, Critics Choice, Globe, Goya, and Spirit nominations in their respective 'foreign-film' style categories.
Weirdly it lost all but one of its 10 nominations at home at the César Awards, picking up only a justly deserved Best Cinematography trophy.
France, LGBTQ+, first and last
Reader Comments (3)
If only they had been smarter about the release date. If it had been released earlier it would’ve had time to be seen by all the members. It probably could have snuck into the best picture category.
This is my favorite film of the year. The entire film is just like a moving painting.
Such a lovely film. I should watch it again soon, might even pick up the blu-ray during the Barnes & Noble Criterion sale.
Truly one of the best films of the 2010s as I saw it for the first time 2 years ago and it blew me away. I have it on DVD but I need to upgrade it to Blu-Ray.